A Most Peculiar Phantom
by StelliferousGlimpse
Summary: When Danny hears of kind ghosts that are having their home threatened, and he needs a break from his own- he travels to help them. However, Danny finds himself in a world even stranger to him than the Ghost Zone, and he fears he may be in over his head.
1. Chapter 1

_A Most Peculiar Phantom_

 **Summary: When Danny hears of kind ghosts that are having their home threatened, and he needs a break from his own- he travels to help them. However, Danny finds himself in a world even stranger to him than the Ghost Zone, and he fears he may be in over his head.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, nor Harry Potter- the belong to Butch Hartman and JK Rowling respectively. This disclaimer will apply to the entire story.**

 **For this Chapter, a song I suggest is 'Cost of the Crown.'**

* * *

 **Chapter One: A Family Friend**

Princess Dorathea floated aimlessly through her castle's lonely halls, her glowing form serene and solitary. She was left completely to her thoughts, of which she had far too many. Ever since her brother had been banished from her kingdom she had been the happiest she could remember for centuries. But with that happiness came guilt- she couldn't forget the fear and pain he spurned within the kingdom, but neither could she forget the loving brother she had once known.

While he became cruel and furious in his death, she became compassionate and loving (besides the few times her cursed medallion was triggered). He hated her for that, for finding peace in her passing, and he let her know very frequently. Until Sir Phantom and Samantha Manson swooped in and gave her the courage to overcome her brothers controlling grasp, she had fretted that she would be his punching bag for all of eternity, never again free to smile and experience joy.

After the thrill of being independent wore off, the loneliness returned and rested a load upon her delicate shoulders. The responsibility of ruling her small kingdom fell to her as well, and where her brother had once taken the weight of the crown, she now felt it settling heavily upon her heart and mind. Wispy tendrils of honey blonde hair fell into her ashen green face, slightly obscuring her large scarlet eyes. Her face downturned towards the floor, she hardly noticed the subconscious path her being was taking.

She came to hover before a dark door with ornate metal working and a large knocker. Dropping lightly to her feet in an ancient sadness nearly forgotten, she faintly brushed her nimble fingers upon the aged wood. The castle she lived in was archaic, a perfect replica of the one she had once grown up in so very long ago. With the castle came her memories, both happy and sad, and this door triggered a bittersweet feeling within her heart. This door lead to her fathers study, a man who was once the king of the great kingdom, who fell ill when she was still just a young girl. A silent vow had been made between her and her brother, a promise to leave this room untouched.

When they had both awoken in the Ghost Zone, soon after a horrible plague had swept the land and claimed both their lives and many of their subjects, there had been the faintest hope in her heart, that perhaps she would find her father waiting for her, and they would be reunited once more. But in all of her time in the Ghost Zone, nearly sixteen hundred years, she had never glimpsed nor heard of her fathers arrival, past or present. She wasn't sure where it was that he went after his passing, but she still missed him terribly. She could no longer keep her promise to leave this room untouched, without her brothers familiar presence, she was withering away in loneliness. She needed her family near to her, as much so as possible. Perhaps seeing her fathers study, left the same as the day he had last set foot in it, would sooth her weary soul.

Pushing gently on the wrought iron handle, the ancient hinges wearily protested at being turned after so many years left untouched. The door swung open, squeaking loudly at its joints before lightly bumping the wall in a greeting of long lost friends. Dust flittered here and fro, illuminated by the weak ectoplasm tinted sunlight which shone upon scattered pages and aged scrolls on the large sturdy desk. The circular room was in one of the highest portions of the castle, and the wind that whispered past the turret of the tower formed a smooth melody of white noise.

Treading carefully, Dorathea inched into the room, ghosting over the floor, no pun intended. Just as she reached out her trembling hand to take one of the pieces of parchment into in her grasp a sharp intake of breath reverberated through the small room, and had she had a heart that could beat, it surely would have stopped.

"Dorathea, my little primrose, is it really you?" Tears flooded into her eyes, and she glanced up searching for the voice that shook her to the very core. At last, her scarlet eyes came to rest upon a portrait settled on the wall, depicting a man of sturdy stature, with curled blonde hair brushing his broad shoulders and viridian eyes sparkling in delight. To the princess' further astonishment, the portrait moved, a hand calloused from decades of swordsman ship reaching out to press lightly at the edge of the frame, as though touching a pane of glass. Voice trembling and breaking, she finally spoke.

"F-father?"

* * *

Danny sighed and groaned as he impacted with the ground for the third time in the last ten minutes. Skulker had struck another deal with Technus and received a slew of new and painful (for Danny) upgrades. One of them happened to be a blaster that was completely impossible to avoid with intangibility. It was Skulkers favorite to use apparently, as Danny began to lose track of the spots on his back that ached from saying hello to the ground entirely too many times.

"I shall hang your pelt upo-"

"Upon your hearth so you may gaze upon it in cold winters and remember tales of victory- YEAH I GET IT!" Danny had grown tired of the same ghosts, same town, and same insults being thrown. Skulker it seemed, had not.

"Don't interrupt me WHELP!" The half ghost teen rolled his eyes and unclipped the Fenton thermos from his belt. As Skulker took aim once again, Danny shot towards him at top speed, causing the metal shell of an ameba to widen his eyes in shock, and maybe a little fright. He dove out of the way, and was caught off guard as Danny twirled to slam his leg down on the small of his back. With a grunt he stabilized himself, but his small moment of disorientation was all it took for Danny to activate the Fenton thermos, and with a curse he felt himself being sucked into its cramped confines.

Danny smiled and let loose a small chuckle while making sure the cap was securely in place. He gave the thermos a slight shake and snickered at the disgruntled insults being muffled by the ghost catching device.

"Serves you right tin head." He clipped the thermos back onto his hip and brushed a gloved hand through his snowy locks. Grimacing as he pulled his bruised shoulder he quickly drifted to the ground and glanced around the deserted street. Seeing no witnesses, he still decided to ere on the side of caution, and he allowed himself to disappear from the visible spectrum. He'd had too many run ins with the Guys in White and their new surveillance systems to risk transforming in the open any more.

He flew leisurely towards Sam's house, as he had promised both Sam and Tucker that he would make time from his evening patrol to binge watch the 'Dead Teacher' series with them. Watching the houses steadily become nicer as he flew through the classy part of town, he slowed to a stop over one of the largest, a brightly lit victorian inspired manor. Hiding behind a tree momentarily he reverted to human form. Had he been visible, someone may have seen his brilliant white hair turning to an onyx black, and his startling eyes the color of glowing green peridots shifting to that of the clearest azure blue sky. His black and white formfitting suit would have changed as well, appearing in its place would be a casual outfit, common on any human boy. However, no one saw any of this miraculous change in a flash of white light, if anything they simply saw the black haired teen slink from out behind the tree and may have wondered 'how long was that fellow over there?'

Quickly striding up to the front door of the manor, Danny rang the chime and with his enhanced hearing he listened to the elegant jingle and sharp click-clacking footsteps that soon headed towards the door. With a click and silent swoosh, a primly dressed woman in her late thirties appeared. Sam's mother was always quite fond of pink, and her hair was always done perfectly to the highest of standards. With a slightly forced smile she waved Danny inside and called out to her daughter.

"Sammy-kins, your friend is here!" Heavy footsteps soon thudded down the stairs, and a girl shaded in blacks, greys, and violets rushed towards Danny. She threw her arms around him, and he held back a slight wince at the tight constriction of his bruised back, but returned the hug with equal vigor. A slight laugh fell from his lips.

"Hey Sam, I'm not that late am I?" The girl released him and brushed a few strands of raven black hair from her amethyst eyes. A faint blush colored her cheeks, easily noticeable due to her fair complexion. She gave him a small smile before replying.

"No, Tucks not even here yet, I just had a weird feeling…" Both teens made eye contact and their blushes grew respectively. A throat being cleared had them quickly glancing away while their cheeks flared brighter.

"Thanks mom, we'll be in the Theater, just send Tucker down when he gets here." Sam's mother stared at her daughter with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised before sighing and nodding. She quickly turned and walked away, Danny's inhuman hearing picking up the mutter of "not your maid." The teens grinned and without speaking words, both took off towards the theatre in a race of speed and agility. Danny was gaining the upper hand, but a quick elbow to the side from Sam had him 'oofing' and her gaining the upper hand. In what was too close to be anything other than a tie, the two teens vaulted over the back of a large sofa and landed in a tangle of limbs upon the cushion, laughter and giggles filling the room.

The two seventeen year olds righted themselves and got settled, Sam resting her combat boot clad feet in Danny's lap, and Danny piling up a tower of pillows behind him for extra cushy comfort.

"So who was it?" Danny paused in his fluffing of an additional pillow and turned to Sam.

"You know, your Ghosty Sense is nearly as accurate as mine." Sam rolled her eyes.

"You didn't answer my question Inviso-Bill." Danny groaned at the old moniker and replied,

"It was just Skulker, I handled him in under ten minutes, nothing to worry about." Sam's eyes darkened slightly, taking on a deep violet hue as they clouded with concern.

"Danny, you know I worry about you right? Between the ghosts getting more aggressive and your parents getting more radical about catching Phantom, you could really get hurt." The halfa gave Sam a smile that didn't reach his eyes and lightly grasped her hand.

"I know you worry Sam, I'm worried too if I'm honest. I just don't really know what to do. I can't just stop being Phantom, there are too many people to protect. No one else will help them, it's something I have to do." Sam leaned back towards him and hugged him once more, her embrace nearly desperate in it's tightness.

"You and your stupid hero complex." She gave a small sigh that tickled the hair near his ear. He held his best friend close, enjoying the comfort that her warm embrace offered.

"EW, get a room you too." The two teens sprang apart for the second time that night, their cheeks lighting up like beacons once more. They quickly armed themselves with pillows.

"SHUT UP TUCK!" The unified yell was met with a screech of manly terror as the barrette wearing newcomer dove to the side to avoid the oncoming barrage of pillows.

The night continued to deteriorate from there, into a mass of giggles, popcorn, and laughter. For the first time in quite a while, Danny felt the stress of being Amity Parks ghostly protector fall away, and for a short period of time, he was just Danny Fenton, having a blast with his best friends and being completely and utterly normal.

* * *

Princess Dorathea gazed in astonishment at the portrait of her father that was seemingly alive. She felt a blast of emotions, ranging from ecstatic joy to gut wrenching guilt. For sixteen hundred years, had her father been locked in this study? If she had just opened the door sooner, she could have had a way to communicate to her father. Albeit a confusing way, but a way nonetheless. Her esteemed father seemed to understand her train of thought almost instantly, and he quickly made to sooth her worries.

"Fear not little one, I've not been alone these long years. I've had companionship from many throughout the times. I am not upset with you for not visiting sooner, you were so young when you met your god mother I am not surprised that you don't remember her astounding capabilities." Dorathea's eyes widened slightly, but her head tilted in confusion. Taking hold of the one portion of her fathers sentence that she could understand the most, she voiced a question.

"I hav- had, a god mother?" Her fathers deep throaty chuckle sounded throughout the room.

"Yes Dorathea, she was very close to your Mother, a woman capable of amazing deeds in the magical arts." A sorceress? Dorathea vaguely remembered individuals of magical caliber passing through her kingdom, but most were untrained and capable of little more than tiny tricks and gimmicks. Thinking back to centuries ago, when she was still alive and a young girl filled with life, she tried to remember this god mother. She faintly remembered an imposing figure clad in blue, with a smaller figure nestled beside her, hair equally as dark, but stature much more childlike, rather than graceful.

"I think I remember… She was a sorceress?"

"A witch my dear, one renowned throughout the world as the most brilliant of her time. She helped to found a school to teach young magicals to train and harness their powers to reach their full potential. The school is now renowned as one of the greatest of its type."

"Father, how is it you can know all of this? How is it that you're here as a portrait? I remember those with magic being scarce, but I don't recall any being in our family." A shake of his curled barley blonde locks and he explained.

"No one in our family possessed the gift of magic, but your god mother bestowed a few items to us. Not long before I passed on, she asked if I would like a portrait commissioned that would allow me to watch over my kingdom for the years to come. I readily agreed, and she went to work on enchanting the canvas before the court painter arrived. Once the painting was finished, she explained that upon my death, it would allow me to see and interact with the living through many enchantments she had devised. I must say, it worked quite flawlessly, and it has become quite commonplace among magicals. Two other items that she gifted our family are the two amulets that I gave to both you and your brother upon my passing. She told me that they would contain the soul of a dragon, allowing the two of you to protect our kingdom as fiercely as a mother dragon would protect her young."

Dorathea was nearly overwhelmed, but as she listened, more and more began to make sense. Her fathers words were calm and honest, speaking the truth. So unlike her brothers form of vicious words that bluntly tore into her regardless of intentions. As she remembered once more her lack of loved ones near, she remembered her fathers mention of companionship.

"You said you have not been alone these many years, who has kept you company?" A smile lit her fathers face, and his eyes crinkled in joy.

"My darling primrose, I have seen magic beyond anything we could ever have believed. Your god mother placed a copy of my portrait in the halls of her school, and this has allowed me to visit with the other portraits, and the students and professors who grace the school with their presence. I have seen so many generations come and go, the advancements they have made are simply astonishing."

"What was her name?"

"Rowena. Rowena Ravenclaw."

With that single name, memories came flooding back. Dorathea remembered running through the halls of the castle with carefree vigor, hand clasping another girls, who was around her age as well.

 _"Hurry Helena! We have to beat Aragon to the dining hall or he'll snag all of the fluffy rolls!" The dark hair girl giggled and hiked the skirts of her deep blue dress higher, sprinting on bare feet much like Dorathea._

 _"I know Dora! I'm the one that suggested the idea to you." With a lapse of giggles both girls continued through the halls, shrieking with laughter that brought smiles to the faces of all that heard their antics._

 _That memory was quickly replaced by more, years of laughter and friendship, pranking guards, the disapproving stare of Helena's mother Rowena, the tiny tricks of magic that her god mother would sometimes indulge her curiosity in. Lessons in propriety that Dora often found boring, lessons in reading and matters of intellect that she enjoyed._

 _Above all she remembered the phrase that Rowena had once whispered to her after she had complained about her Brother being treated better by some of the guards and receiving more treats. He had boasted that his strength would bring him glory, and had teased Dorathea for being so much weaker than him. Confiding to Rowena with tears glossing her light blue eyes, the strict witch had let her have a glimpse past her proper exterior to the warm hearted mother within. Taking her head in her grasp and lightly brushing away her tears, she told Dora with the slightest of smirks, "Never forget- Wit beyond measure, is man's greatest treasure."_

After that day she had increased Dora's lessons at her request, and the princess found herself enamored in a world of books and intellect. However, after her father passed and as she grew older, and her brother's taunts grew more vicious, Rowena and Helena's visits became far and few between, until they ceased completely.

As Dorathea grew into a woman and fell victim to the illness that plagued her land only to join the realm of the dead, the wise woman she had cared for had slowly faded from her memory, becoming more and more lost throughout the last sixteen hundred years. A single tear gathered in the corner of her eye, and it rebelled against her will for it to disappear, falling from her lashes to race down her cheek and drip onto her fathers dusty desk. She glanced up at her father, who was staring down at her with a warm, ever loving smile.

"How could I have forgotten them?" The princess choked back a sob that she felt building within her chest, not willing to lose her composure so entirely.

"My darling daughter, you have been locked away for so many years, the possibility of you forgetting such a part of your early childhood is no surprise. Do not blame yourself for the effects of time." Dora longed horribly for the ability to hug her father and never let go, but knowing that that remained a luxury still forever unavailable to her, she settled for resting her delicate hand upon the side of his portraits frame. He rested his own hand near hers, and for a while, she could pretend that they were merely separated by a simple glass window, and that any moment he would come rushing through the halls to embrace her and never let her go again.

Tears fell freely from her face, and she stood with her father for a countless amount of time, happy to merely be near him once again.

Finally breaking her trance she gazed around his study, smiling at the many layers of dust coating every surface. Her father had always been quite tidy, so she imagined watching sixteen hundred years worth of dust had driven him quite mad. A smile made its way to her lilac tinted lips, which gave way to a giggle, and grew into a full bodied laugh. Her father chuckled at her amusement, only wondering what it was that had possibly triggered such laughter. As she began to move around the room and started dusting, triggering huge clouds of dust to scatter into the air, he realized what it was that had her in a giggling fit.

"The amount of times I've tried calling for someone to come dust in here only for them to run away from the door in terror. You'd think they were hearing a ghost!" Both members of the room engaged in laughter this time. While the king was a portrait upon the wall, he was well aware of the fact that his daughter was no longer human. His lovely little girl had grown into a beautiful young woman, and he could only wonder why she was now standing before him. While she looked different, he still saw the same girl sparkling behind her eyes. He may not understand what his daughter had become, but he would always love his little girl, and seeing her face alit with glee and peace, he wouldn't have changed this moment for anything in the world.

* * *

 **AN: Hello everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter of my story. This authors note will be a bit longer than most, as I want to explain a bit about what I'm writing.**

 **So in a lot of Danny Phantom / Harry Potter crossovers, I've noticed that the magicals are very accepting of Danny being a new type of ghost, and casually accept his help. I believe that they would be very intrigued by a new 'creature' they hadn't yet discovered, and they would be much more standoffish about Danny arriving in Hogwarts. As such, I'm hoping to set up the story in a way that offers Danny the ability to be much more incognito about who and what he is.**

 **I also feel like Dora is fairly underestimated as an interesting character with a fascinating back story. She's a very old ghost, as in the series she mentions being under her brothers thumb for sixteen hundred years. As such, I think she would have some interesting ties and understandings of the magical world that would be very useful in tying things together.**

 **I haven't done much in-depth research on dates, and I already know they won't match up perfectly, so I'm taking some creative liberties and scooting around the dates to match up a bit better. I'm thinking I'll have Harry in his fifth year, as I want him old enough to be a strong character rather than a child. That and I want the chance to torture Umbridge a bit. (who doesn't, am I right?)**

 **I haven't written in quite a while, so I would love some feedback! Do things seem too slow? Moving too fast? Are people fairly in character? The more advice and tips the merrier- just please no rude or flaming comments. There's a big difference between constructive criticism, and just being plain old mean! That being said, I bid you all adieu, see you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is just a quick note, I edited the last paragraph of the first chapter to make more sense for the conversations in this one. It was a major plot hole that bypassed my goof ball brain. If you started this story before August 5th, I recommend you re-read the last paragraph. x3**

 **For this chapter I suggest the song: "Diamonds and Rust" (The Blackmore's Night cover)**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: A Crisis Uncovered**

Princess Dorathea spent many hours in her Fathers study, cleaning away the accumulated dust and grime from centuries of stagnant silence. They had been talking for hours, tiny unimportant matters, funny tales throughout the years. They never touched upon how very different Dora looked, and her father never asked her what she was. She was perfectly happy with his choice to avoid the subject, and was content with the silly trivial conversations that they engaged in. A silence had fallen between the two of them as Dora sorted through aged parchments that littered the desk, and she had been humming an old celtic melody her father had taught her.

She brushed off another scroll and waved away the cloud of fluffy particulate matter that scattered into the air. Looking over it, she smiled at the familiar slightly messy script of her fathers. She read for only a moment, long enough to determine that it was simply a correspondence to a neighboring kingdom about trading agreements, and then lightly placed it in a slowly growing stack. She wasn't sure what he wanted done with them, but for the first time in so very long she could ask.

"Father, what would you like done with all these scrolls?" She turned from the beautifully crafted chair she perched upon to gaze up at the portrait. To her shock and horror, the frame was completely empty, a simple background the only subject. Swallowing down the horrible dread that began overwhelming her form, she shakily stood from the seat and moved towards the bare frame.

"F-father?" Tears began welling up in her eyes, and she lightly reached out towards the portrait. How cruel was it that she only had a few moments with him? Could the fates really hate her so very much? She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the tears that wanted to fall.

"Is everything okay little primrose?" The sudden voice startled her terribly, and she leapt back from the frame, never quite coming back to touch the ground. Hovering a few inches off of the floor and clutching the desk behind her like a life line, she gazed at the portrait that was occupied once more.

"Y-you were gone… The portrait was empty!" Her father gained a sheepish look and rubbed the back of his head, fluffing up the golden curls that rested upon his neck.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized that my departure would startle you. Everything is fine love, I was merely checking in with friends to tell them of our joyous reunion." Dorathea's eyes widened in astonishment, slowly coming to terms with the extent of enchantments that were imbedded in the canvas that held her fathers image.

"What is it like?" A bushy eyebrow was raised in confusion. "I mean, what is it like to travel through a canvas, through another dimension even. How is it even possible that such enchantments were carried into the Ghost Zone?" At this her father gained a slightly bewildered look and began looking around the room in confusion.

"What do you mean by another dimension? And the 'Ghost Zone', I've never heard of a place like that!" Her father laughed, assuming she was merely playing a prank on him, but as he looked at her odd jade tinted complexion and her deep wine hued eyes, as well as her entire being floating mere inches off of the ground and encased in an unearthly glow, he began to reconsider.

"I am a ghost father, by how calm you were upon seeing me I figured you understood that." A slight twinge of fear throbbed in her un-beating heart, would he be fearful of her changed state?

"A ghost? But you look nothing like the ghosts I know!" There were other types of ghosts? Dora had only ever seen those like her, albeit many had unique and varied powers, most were fairly similar in appearance.

"What do the ghosts you know of look like?" Dora raised an eyebrow to emphasize her uncertainty.

"They are without color or true form, merely passing through all that is physical. But you have been moving scrolls all day, how is that so?" Thinking on it for a moment, Dora realized that he was expressing that all of the ghosts he had seen were permanently intangible. Changing her form to be more like he had described, she looked back towards him.

"Yes! Like that, you've lost your color and I can see slightly through you. But how is it you retain your other form?" Her fathers eyes were alit with all of the curiosity and excitement of a young lad just waiting to begin practicing with Knights. His words came ever faster, and had he been sitting in a seat, Dorathea was sure he would have been bouncing right out of it.

"I-I'm not sure. All ghosts I know are capable of a physical manifestation." Regaining her own physicality, she lightly sat upon the desk and began contemplating the difference between the ghosts he knew, and the ones her father was familiar with.

"You mentioned a "Ghost Zone" earlier, what and where is that?" Dora stifled a laugh behind one delicate hand and replied.

"It's where we are Father, the realm of the undead." Had he still been in his hypothetical chair, he would have fallen off of it in shock at this point.

"Realm of the Undead!? Why none of the magicals have ever described anything like this! How have they not discovered this 'Ghost Zone' yet?" He looked completely aghast at the idea of an unknown realm, and Dora wondered if magic really could have surpassed what she had known as a girl so greatly.

"I'm not sure Father, but perhaps it's what gives the ghosts who dwell within it the power to manifest? All that is in the Ghost Zone is made of ectoplasm, the source of our powers and existence. If you know of ghosts that have never been here, perhaps they are mere shades, not fully formed ghosts."

"That does make quite a bit of sense then, doesn't it. Helena will be absolutely astounded by this revelation." He grinned down at his daughter, but as he noticed her shock, his smile fell slightly.

"Helena? She is a portrait as well?" At his daughters timid question the past King cringed, a forlorn look gathering in his eyes.

"No my love, she is a ghost. One of the shade like beings I mentioned." Dora's eyes widened in both shock and sorrow. She knew what it was to be a ghost for sixteen hundred years, but she at least had the normalcy and comfort of physicality and most things she enjoyed in life.

"I need to see her." The determination to do so came to her so quickly that she completely passed by the concern that now adorned her fathers face.

"I'm not sure that would be possible my dear." Looking up abruptly, she jutted her chin defiantly at her father.

"And why is that?" Her father sighed, his eyes looking as old as the canvas they were painted upon.

"The location in which she dwells and is anchored to is strongly warded. As you were Muggle in life, one without magic, I am doubtful that you would be able to step foot in the castle." One thing her father apparently hadn't realized, was that in the last couple of centuries, Dorathea had only become more hard headed and stubborn. Especially within the last few years since she took charge of her kingdom.

"Well I would be a fool to not even try. Where is this school that houses you?" With a glint of respect for the woman his little girl had become gleaming in his eyes, he told her the location of the magical school as well as he could. Since he had never been anything but a portrait upon it's walls, he could only determine what he knew from the information he garnered from its inhabitants.

"Before you leave my primrose, I must ask that you be cautious. Do not use your physical form while interacting with those of magic. They will fear you and want to take your free will so they may study you. I do not wish for you to think poorly of the magicals I have come to know, but I also know that naïvety and blind trust can be a death sentence."

Dora nodded once, a firm shake of her head that promised she would heed by his suggestion. She stroked the side of his portraits frame, and gave him a smile. With a swirl of her draping skirts, she exited the room.

Within the hour, Dorathea was ready to travel. She surely could have called upon a ghost with the ability of creating a portal, but it had been far too long since she had last stretched her wings, and even longer since she had done so without the necessity of a battle.

Leaving a message for her royal court, she drifted to her courtyard before tapping into the power that was housed within her amulet. Feeling the power of a mighty dragon over whelm her, the princess' form was engulfed in a blue painless fire, and from that flame burst forth a magnificent dragon. Her pale cerulean blue scales shone with an iridescent gleam, and her wings stretched to a mighty thirty foot span from tip to tip.

Stretching her long slender neck, she lightly pushed herself upwards, using a familiar mix of wing power and natural ghost flight. Looping around the towers of her castle once, she bid her subjects goodbye with a small jet of harmless bluebell flames shot into the sky. Changing her course of direction, she began flying in full towards her target. It was the only set location that she knew of to exit the Ghost Zone and begin her long flight towards Scotland.

The Fenton Portal.

* * *

It was roughly Seven PM on a Wednesday evening, and Danny sat in his room struggling to stay awake. He had a paper due on Friday and he still needed at least four thousand more words on it. Why Lancer wanted to know his thoughts on 'the use of metaphors and their role in ironic situations regarding Hamlet' he would never understand.

He squinted at the screen of his laptop, wishing for words to magically appear on the screen for him. Shifting slightly in paranoia, he glanced out his window, praying to every deity he could think of that Desiree couldn't read minds. He didn't even want to contemplate how the wish granting ghost could manipulate self writing essays into something to torment him.

His messy raven locks were frazzled, and a few strands were slightly singed from a close miss he'd had with an echo blast earlier while he had been tracking down a few rogue ghosts. His parents had come across him and went after him in pursuit. Their aim had been steadily improving over the years, and they'd taken a liking to going for head shots apparently.

Typing a few more words that he wasn't sure he even completely understood in a jumbled sentence, he rubbed tiredly at his eyes, wondering if he could just ignore his essay and take advantage of the break in ghost attacks for some much needed rest. He had gotten roughly twelve hours or so in the last three days, most of which was just light cat naps that barely let him shut his eyes.

Making up his mind, he saved his document, and hoped he'd have another chance to write some more tomorrow. Shutting down and closing his laptop, he pushed away from his desk, the wheels of his chair gliding across the floor before being tangled in some old clothes scattered about and jerking to a sudden halt.

The exhausted half ghost boy stood, and he let out a jaw cracking yawn. Popping his back and shuffling out of his jeans, he face planted into his mattress and reached blindly to his side to yank the covers over half of his torso. He sighed into his amazingly fluffy and beautiful pillow as the pale and timid light of dusk faintly shone through his window.

He snuggled deeper into the blankets and wrapped himself in their still chilled depths, thanking Clockwork for giving him a moment to rest at las-

A faint wisp of pale blue mist passed his almost snoring lips, and a few very choice words followed soon after.

"Just one night. One night of sleep. Is that really too much to ask?" A slight crash in his basement answered him in a resounding affirmative. Sighing in resignation, a ring of brilliant white light materialized around his blanket burrito wrapped form and traveled in opposite directions.

As the ring traveled, his frumpy T-shirt and polka dotted boxers were replaced by a reinforced suit of the deepest ebony. A snow white belt with a few pockets for utility items adorned his hips, and as the light continued, his feet gained equally white combat boots just as his arms gained white fingerless fighting gloves that traveled to his elbows. As the light passed over his chest, the only spec of difference in the main pattern of the suit was a logo of a P inside a D, with slight trails speeding behind it.

The real change came with his physical appearance. The raven black locks of his hair inverted themselves into the purest of snow. His soft blue eyes that were glaring balefully at the ceiling gained a completely new color, becoming an iridescent green of the richest peridot hue.

Not bothering to rise from the bed, the now glowing ghostly teen simply allowed himself to fall through the lovely cushions of his resting place. Blanching slightly at the nest of dust bunnies that his head passed through while under his bed, he uprighted himself and continued to sink lower.

He quickly flew towards the lab in his basement, ignoring silly things like walls, and grateful that his parents had been too tired out from chasing him all evening to bother resetting the Fenton home security system for once. Passing through the metal door and drifting down the stairs with a sarcastic quip and eye roll at the ready for what was most likely the rummaging Box Ghost, he fell slightly short and stopped in surprise when he saw who it was that had triggered his Ghost sense.

"Dora?" The princess and sometimes dragon was hurriedly rebalancing some tools onto the cluttered workbench. Being near the entrance to the Portal, the swirling green light only furthered the already pronounced jade tint of her skin. She smiled sheepishly at him, and brushed a few stray strands of her pale blonde hair from her ruby eyes.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, I know you are the valiant protector of this Portal, but I didn't have time to send a formal request for its use. I needed to use it to gain access to this realm, but I wanted to stay long enough to let you know that I mean no harm. That and to let you rest easy knowing there's not a delinquent ghost on the loose." Her smile wavered slightly, and she clasped her hands to fiddle with her fingers in nervousness.

Danny continued to stare slightly dumbfounded at the royal ghost. He could count the amount of times a ghost had actually been polite enough to inform him of their use of the portal for benign means on one hand. And the amount of times he trusted their promise of meaning no harm, well, he really couldn't remember ever trusting any of them.

He hadn't seen Dora since he had helped her overcome her brother Aragon, besides the few brief chats at the Christmas parties that fell under the ghost's truce. However, he had never had any issues with her since her tyrant of a sibling had been removed from power, and as his tired eyes bore into hers, he could see the sincerity that she was offering him. Her nervous twitching continued, and her small smile waned slightly. Realizing why, Danny dropped his defensive posture, and relaxed his stance.

"Sorry, I'm just really not used to anyone letting me know whats going on. Or being polite. Or not attacking me instantly. Or- eh you get the point." He rolled his eyes and gave her a slight smile, his exhaustion being forgotten for the moment as curiosity took its place.

"I understand. I have been meaning to offer this for quite some time to you in gratitude for all you have done to help my kingdom… but perhaps I could station a few of my Knights at the entrance of this portal to ward off some of the ghosts that may be tempted to traverse through it? I mean no offense, but you do not look well."

Danny's eyes widened at her offer and note to his state of being. If he was honest with himself, he really wasn't doing so great at the moment. He'd been struggling to keep up his grades, desperate to at least stay in the B range. He had even managed to bring his science courses back up to an A. However, his renewed efforts towards his studies was taking its toll, and coupled with the increase in ghostly attacks he was quickly becoming completely and utterly drained.

He'd begun losing a bit of weight from the added stress, not enough to cause major concern as much of his muscle mass he had gained from fighting ghosts for the past three years remained, but just enough for his mother to occasionally comment on how thin he was getting and how 'absurd it was that school puts so much stress on teens these days.'

His eyes dulled slightly, the dark shadows even more pronounced by the slight glow that remained. Allowing himself to drop from the slight hover he had been maintaining, he stood and leaned against the stair railings behind him and looked over Dora.

"You really want to help me?" Besides Clockwork and the Far Frozen, no ghosts ever really offered him assistance, and thinking over the possible drop in ghost attacks that could come from the portal being guarded on the other side he instantly wanted to accept this offer. His wariness and past experiences forced his tired mind to stop jumping in joy for fear of the offer all being a cruel trick.

"I do, you have helped us so many times, from defeating Pariah Dark, to bringing my kingdom the peace and prosperity that we thought was lost to us forever… It really is the least I could do." The sincerity that Danny was quickly coming to be familiar with shone ever brighter in the princess' eyes.

"I wanna meet the Knights that would guard the portal before accepting." Tilting his head slightly and expecting refusal, the halfa was happily surprised in what was rapidly becoming the norm for tonight.

"Of course, I would expect nothing less of such a fierce Guardian." A slightly awkward silence fell between the two, until Danny remembered Dora mentioning a task in the human world that had been one of the main causes for his original insecurity.

"Sooo, what do you need to do while out of the Zone?" A brilliant joy and determination flew into her eyes and expression as a smile lit up her face.

"I have been in contact with my father, a feat made possible by magic of the greatest caliber. He has told me that there is a way for me to see one of my greatest childhood friends. He says there is a chance that it won't work, but I refuse to give up hope without at least trying my very best first. She is in a castle in Scotland, and it is my intention to fly there tonight." Danny raised his eyebrows, one arching higher than the other at the mention of magic.

"Uhh, magic huh? Like, 'OoOOo Abracadabra', pulling rabbits from hats?" Dora covered her mouth with a delicate hand and giggled slightly, shaking her head in a negative answer.

"No Sir Phantom, I speak of real magic, of the highest magnitude and capable of the most amazing possibilities." His already raised eyebrow rose further, and confusion with a touch of amusement drifted through his expression.

"Okay well, I'm entirely too exhausted to consider the implications of what you just said, so I'll just assume you know where you're going and leave it at that." The local hero let out another massive yawn before remembering something else. "Also, depending on if you pass directly over cities, actually- no matter how close you are to cities, would you mind staying invisible and intangible on your way there? I'm not sure how the rest of the world would react to seeing you, especially if you're going dragon style. That and the Guys in White have really been cracking down hard on any visible ghost activity."

Nodding her head in consent of his wishes, Dora bid Amity's protector farewell and faded from the visible spectrum. Danny gave a weary chuckle and gave the empty room a slight wave. The confuzzled teen pushed off of the stairs and shot back up to his room through the ceiling. He drifted over his bed and relinquished his hold on his ghostly half, reverting to his less glow-y form in a flash. With the switch back to human, he stopped teasing gravity and plopped down onto the bed.

Re-wrapping himself into a Danny sized burrito, he sighed in contentment. And for the first time in a very very long time, Danny slept through the entire night.

* * *

As the Dora flew, her invisible wings slicing through clouds ruthlessly in her graceful glide, she looked to the stars, using the knowledge she had assembled over the last sixteen hundred years to gain her bearings and head in the correct direction. She flew for countless hours, taking advantages of updrafts and a mixture of ghostly and physical flight to extend her energy reserves as long as possible.

Far below her the choppy waves of the North Atlantic Ocean shimmered in the moonlight. Her flight became timeless, a moment that stretched on for ages in contentment. She was happy, soaring through the cool breezy skies of the human realm. As she began tiring, the suns light began to creep its way onto the horizon. Tendrils of glowing indigo growing into violet and mauve. Lilac and gold soon joined the transformation of the sky, until the princess' entire field of vision was consumed by an astounding sunrise.

It was actually the first she had seen in many years, there was no sun to rise nor moon to replace it in the Ghost Zone. She cherished her moment of complete serenity, and committed the sight to her memory to enjoy forever. As pale blue overtook the sky and became the primary hue, she began to near a landmass. If her navigation skills were to be trusted she would be on the edge of Northern Ireland, and soon she would be nearing Scotland.

If all went well, she would find the School before noon. Before the day ended, she would be reunited with her dear childhood friend. If the wards on the castle her father had spoken of were an issue, she would find another way. Princess Dorathea refused to accept defeat. After so many centuries of nothing but sadness and losing, it was her turn to win- no matter how small the victory.

* * *

 **AN: So that finishes up Chapter Two~ I've been lining out the plot in my notes and I have things sort of figured out (I hope), so I can probably keep chapters coming fairly regularly. Once University starts back up in a few weeks I'm sure any sort of frequency or routine I get into will be jarred, but until then- Huzzah! Updates!**

 **Thank you to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Each notification puts a stupid grin on my face and makes my day. If there are any questions about anything please feel free to ask!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: As a quick explanation of how her father would be able to tell her of Hogwarts general location- He and Rowena were quite close in life, and she had most likely shared with him some of the information of the school's construction. Coupled with the fact that he's had over sixteen hundred years to talk with the students, professors, and other portraits, he's been told quite a bit about the surrounding locations. The lake, forest, mountains and cliffs, would all form a fairly specific area on a map. It's a bit of a stretch, I know, but I really wanted Dora to fly there herself for her first journey to the school. Dora has also had all of her many years to study cartography (which I'm saying she has), so she has a very strong sense of direction and navigation.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Surprises all Round**

Dora was feeling the strain of her long trek, the joints of her wings tiring as quickly as her ghostly energy reserves. She had slightly overestimated her ability to find the school based on her fathers description of its location.

She circled low over another mountain range as a large lake came into view under the fading light of day. A small twinge of hope crossed her mind, as the surrounding mountain range and body of water loosely fit what her father had recalled hearing from the students. However, she didn't see the school which was a large castle apparently. Letting out a reptilian snort of disappointment she began banking to the side to continue searching.

An itching feeling of wrongness began to encompass her mind as she neared the bank of the massive stretch of choppy waves. A faint shimmering of the air came into her view as she forced herself to continue through the odd sensation in her mind.

Her father had mentioned wards of many kinds, so perhaps the feeling of discontent was a sign that she was nearing the edges of the wards. The displacement within the air was quickly coming closer as she sped over the body of water. She saw nothing beyond the air that wiggled and waved like heat waves rising from a parched desert.

With what felt like running head first into a huge pool of maple syrup on a cold winter evening she came into contact with what she now greatly suspected of being the aforementioned wards. For a moment she was fearful that she would be repelled backwards and she quickly slammed her eyes shut and tensed to brace herself, but no solid wall came, and for the briefest of moments she felt a presence brushing past her mind before she passed completely through the wards boundaries.

She noted the odd occurrence to ponder upon later and weakly opened her eyes only to nearly fall out of the air in shock. Before her in what had been an empty field and rocky edge near a sprawling lake now stood the most magnificent castle she had ever seen. In comparison, her own castle seemed to degrade itself to a run down ruin playing dress up. Turrets rose high into the air, lights gleaming from many windows. Upon the once vacant lake was a large ship, docked near the shore. She found its placement a bit odd, as the body of water did not connect to any larger ones, but disregarded it as a 'magic' thing.

Knowing that she had found Hogwarts, for surely this could be no other place, she glided downwards towards the grass and landed at last. Folding in her wings she winced as the exhausted appendages finally rested. Her invisible form made a huge indention in the grass, and she began thinking of a plan as she forced her form to shrink and contain itself within her amulet once more.

When talking with her father earlier, he had said that all magical ghosts he knew of were completely intangible, so she would have to disregard her physical form as long as she was within the castle walls. She wasn't sure exactly where her fathers portrait was placed within the school, but she doubted that he would be the first person she came across.

She dropped her hold on her invisibility, but maintained her intangibility, her colorless form holding just enough sustenance to still be visible. Drifting up the hill side and towards what looked like front doors, she phased through them and into a brightly lit hall filled with torches and wall sconces.

An open door to her side lead to a massive dining hall, filled to the bursting with children and teens of many ages. Avoiding that room like the plague, she floated past and into a cavernous room that held more portraits than a world renowned art gallery. A maze like network of staircases connected the many different floors and landings, and to her astonishment, some of them seemed to be switching spots every now and again.

"Pardon me, but I don't believe we've met." Dora twirled with a gasp, facing the newcomer with startled eyes. Another ghost floated near her, his garbs similar to those of her own time period, if not a little more modern. A large ruffle adorned his neck, and his rambunctiously curled hair sprang in wild windblown tufts. He raised an eyebrow at her silent stare,

"Typically when meeting someone new, you introduce yourself. For example- I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, house ghost of the brave and chivalrous Gryffindors." He gave a silly bow that included much hand waving, and Dora found herself easing slightly.

"Sorry I've not seen many other… ghosts. I am Princess Dorathea." He gave her a suggestive smile and wink.

"A princess you say? What brings a lovely royal lady such as yourself to our humble school? We typically don't receive many visitors of the ghostly sort." Dora started slightly at his flirting before letting out a tinkling giggle, no one had the gall to flirt with her, and Sir Nicholas' jesting was a refreshing change.

"I am looking for an old friend. I have recently been informed that she resides here as a ghost as well. Perhaps you know her?" Sir Nicholas smiled broadly and offered his arm to the now welcomed Dora.

"Why my highness I would be honored to assist you in finding your friend. What is her name if I may ask?" Dora rolled her eyes at the extended arm, but accepted his offer and seemingly placed her own within his grasp. Due to their intangibility however, there was just an odd tingly sensation rather than actually feeling any contact. Dora thought that is was quite odd, but as Sir Nicholas was attempting to be kind, she humored him. The two began drifting along a random path on the staircases as Dorathea answered his inquiry.

"Her name is Helena Ravenclaw. It has been many centuries since we have been in contact, and I am unsure of what she may look like now." She continued drifting along the stairs, hardly noticing the now absent tingly presence of her guides previously offered arm. Finally realizing his lack of presence, she turned to see the rambunctious ghost staring at her in complete shock. He gawked at her for a moment longer before shaking his stupor from his mind and quickly caught up with her.

"I apologize, I had not expected such a request. You really know the Grey Lady?" Dora frowned at the moniker.

"Grey Lady? Why would you call her such a thing?" The Sir shook his head slightly again before replying.

"She- Helena that is- has always been very solitary and kept to herself. Very few actually know who she was in life. She has only mentioned her name once since I have joined the ranks of the ghosts here, many centuries ago. Her identity has faded throughout the many years, and most simply know her as 'The Grey Lady'… but yes, I can take you to her."

"That would be very appreciated." Dora watched as he drifted towards the nearest portrait, and requested that they search for The Grey Lady and send him a message as to her whereabouts. Turning back to her he spoke,

"They will inform us of her location soon. In the mean time, may I ask you a question?" Shifting in slight nervousness, Dora nodded her head in permission. "How do you know her?" The princesses eyes warmed at the memories resurfacing, happy beyond measure for having them once more.

"We were dear friends as children, often playing and learning together as her mother tutored us. Due to circumstances at the time, our visits became far and few between, and I passed on not many years later. I had almost forgotten about Helena completely over the past sixteen centuries, and I am ashamed to say that I would have if I had not been told of her continued existence." A downturned expression and sombre mood overtook her posture, and a tingling upon her shoulder informed her that Sir Nicholas was consoling her as much as he could manage.

"I am sorry to hear that you lost each other for so very long. However, the mere possibility of being reunited is quite astounding in itself." Dorathea nodded and gave a small smile. She looked out at the moving staircases and active frames, and noticed the subjects hopping to and fro, paying no mind to whose frame belonged to who. Perhaps that is how her Father traveled from place to place.

"Sir Nick!" A scrawny looking fairy buzzed in the upper left hand corner of a nearby frame and waved frantically. "We found her, she's musing up in the astronomy tower. She seemed quite deep in thought so I think she'll be there for a while yet."

"Ah brilliant! Thank you my dear." Turning to Dora he smiled widely. "Follow me milady." Sir Nicholas set off at a quick pace, drifting through wall after wall and ignoring all solid aspects of the castle completely, and Dora followed suit. After many stretching corridors and sets of elegant spiraling staircases, they found themselves in a large open room, with a centerpiece of gleaming golden rings and glass swirling a globe. Off to the corner floating just above the surface of the railing in what would be a precarious perch for a human, was a ghost.

Her translucent form was that of a young woman, in her early twenties at best. She had dark hair that was pulled back from her face only to fall in a waterfall of ringlets, cascading down her back to her hips. A face of delicate and solemn features gazed out the window, the gathered skirts of her dress pooling around her.

As Dorathea gazed upon her, she knew without a doubt that it was her. While she had grown up, the resemblance was unmistakeable. Coming slightly closer, she tried to think of what to possibly say. Sir Nicholas cleared his throat, causing Helena head to swivel towards them and resolving her dilemma. Curiosity took hostage of the Grey Lady's face, but as her gaze bore into Dorathea's eyes incredulity overwhelmed the confusion. A single word reverberated through the tower in a timid echo.

"Dora?"

* * *

The blaring of an alarm shot through Danny's eardrums and he was in a fighting stance upon the floor before his eyes had even fully opened. Blinking blearily at the sunlight filtering through his window, the halfa stared at his alarm clock intently, not willing to believe the numbers flashing across its display.

7: 15 AM blinked in and out of existence in neon blue letters as the gratingly annoying bell continued screaming at him. Dropping his fists and stumbling towards the clock, he lightly pressed a button and ceased the sound.

He had been woken up by his alarm. He had gone to bed, and slept through the entire night without a single attack. Nothing had gone bump in the night, the city wasn't a burn't pile of ashes- he spared a quick glance out the window to confirm.

His mind continued trying to wrap itself around the idea of a solid eleven hours of sleep, almost not comprehending the idea of being rested. The hero was still quite tired, but he felt more refreshed than he had in weeks. He stretched and popped his neck, the reverberating cracks snapping him further into awareness. A smile began to break itself out upon his face, the first one he had the energy to truly mean in quite a while.

He had enough time to take a shower in the morning for once, a rare chance to relax that lately had become thirty second scrub downs to be marginally cleaner than before.

Stepping into his bathroom he stripped down and slipped under the warm spray. He sighed in relief at the feel of water jets pounding into his back, soothing away the pain of overworked and strained muscles. He grabbed his soap and shampoo and created a mess of suds, laughing in child like glee at the bubbles he never had the time to indulge in.

Finally clean and more relaxed than he had been in ages he turned off of the water and turned intangible to dry off. Who needs a towel when you have ghost powers?

Exiting his bathroom and looking around his messy room he strode towards his closet, kicking old clothes out of the way as he went. Rifling though the hangers, he picked out a fresh pair of faded blue jeans, and a pale grey 'dumpty humpty' T-shirt. He grabbed some boxers from his drawers and quickly dressed.

Slipping on his well loved scarlet converse and entering his bathroom once more he brushed his teeth and put on some deodorant- ghost fighting plus sweat equalled a very stinky halfa. Running a hand through his chaotic but clean hair to sooth it into a marginally more reasonable mess, he considered himself ready for the day.

He opened his door and practically skipped down the stairs, actually having enough time and energy to get a real breakfast for once. Neither of his parents were up, Jazz had always been the early bird of the family. Since she had left for college, Yale, the Fenton family had enjoyed later mornings.

His shoes squeaked upon the clean tile floor as he opened the fridge. A suspiciously glowing hot dog rattled in the lunch meat section of the fridge. As Danny reached for the milk, another hot dog jumped out from behind some margarine and made an assault upon Danny's unsuspecting finger.

Yelping and slamming the fridge shut, and narrowly escaping further bites from the enraged mutant food, the hungry teen let out a sigh.

"Dry cereal it is." Heading towards the pantry and nursing his throbbing finger he picked out the first cereal he saw and poured a bowl. He quickly ate the dry flakes, coughing every now and again as one went down wrong. When the bowl was empty Danny rushed back up to his room to grab his faded purple back pack. Sliding his laptop into it and swinging it over his shoulder he hurried out of his room, taking the steps three at a time.

He could hear his parents rustling around in their room as they woke up, and he didn't want to sit through a morning rant about 'that tyrant Phantom', especially since they had failed in capturing him again yesterday. His steps sped up and the door slammed behind him.

He actually had time to meet up with Sam and Tuck before school, so he headed to their usual meeting place and waited. Sitting down and leaning against the telephone pole near the street corner, he relished in merely relaxing while waiting for his friends. He rested his eyes and barely registered the approaching footsteps.

"Danny?!" Tucker waved at him from a couple yards down the street, the techno geek slightly surprised to see his long time best friend. "Dude this is the first time I've seen you waiting over here since halfway through freshman year." The raven haired teen gave a grin from ear to ear.

"I know! I don't know how, but I got a full nights rest last night. Not a single ghost besides Dora, but she just wanted to talk for a bit."

"Why was Dora at your house?" Both boys turned to see the third member of their trio rounding the corner. The ultra-recyclo vegetarian was glaring slightly, most likely put off by the cheerful morning sun.

"She had something to do in the human realm, wanted to stick around to let me know." Tucker raised his eyebrows and frowned while Sam scoffed.

"Please don't tell me you let her go do whatever she wanted." Danny narrowed his eyes slightly as he replied.

"She seemed sincere, she wanted to go find a childhood friend. She even stuck around to let me know and chat and everything. She even offered to have some of her Knights stationed at the inside of the portal to help lower the amount of attacks!" Danny's joy at the last part garnered even more suspicion from the other two teens. Sam being as vocal as usual voiced her mistrust.

"You really believe there's no sinister plan behind all that? With all ghosts have done to you, I would have thought you'd learned not to trust them by now. Dora's cool enough but who knows what she's really planning." Tucker chimed in as well-

"Yeah, ghosts aren't exactly poster kids for 'trustworthy' man." Danny joy dwindled and annoyance took his place. Sometimes he felt like his friends completely disregarded the fact that he was part ghost. As much as he knew there was some truth to their words, and plenty of experiences to back them up, it still stung that they would judge ghosts so quickly as well as disregard his ability to handle the situation.

"Yeah you're right, 'ghosts' totally can't be trusted. I guess I don't know anything about that." Perhaps his sarcastic quip was too much, but Danny was annoyed that they couldn't just be cool with the fact that someone offered to help him and that he was willing to go out on a limb to believe it.

Sam and Tucker both cringed and exchanged slightly weary looks, realizing how rude their statement could have come across to their friend, but not quite for the reason Danny was offended. Tucker spoke for the pair-

"Sorry dude, I know you can figure out stuff for yourself, we just worry is all. You've been screwed over way too many times by those undead creeps." His attempted apology was a blunder in Dannys opinion, and that doubtful inner voice that everyone has spoke out. Was that all he was to them, just another 'undead creep'. Logically he knew that wasn't what they meant, but his irrational agitation wouldn't let him forget the snarky replies he wanted to fire back at his friends.

"Why don't you guys go on ahead, I'm going to do a quick patrol since I have the time." Without giving Sam and Tuck a chance to reply Danny made himself invisible and quickly flew away, switching to his ghost half in an unseen flash.

His head was racing and his stomach was rolling. He knew it was stupid to get annoyed at them for being so tired of ghosts- he was sick of them too. But every crack and jab they made was twisting a little dagger towards Danny as well. It had become a fairly common occurrence.

As Danny had grown over the last three years, becoming more and more comfortable with his other half, as well as with some other ghosts in general, it seemed like Sam and Tucker had done the opposite.

Danny's enhanced hearing had picked up on conversations between the two, both of them expressing some resentment at having the added stress of helping him. The first year or so had been fine, they both thought it was cool in a way, helping save the entire town. But while Danny's alter ego got all of the credit and they got none, the excitement began to die down.

Their grades had both taken a small hit as well, and their parents weren't happy about it. That coupled with late nights out, occasional injuries, and a lack of communication to protect Danny's secret had them both growing even further from their families. Tucker's once close bond with his loving mother and father was strained, and Sam's already shaky relationship with her parents had practically dwindled to nothing.

It killed Danny to think it, but perhaps it would be best if he started making do without them. They had their own lives to worry about, it wasn't fair of him to burden them. They didn't have powers or a crazy screwed up life. They could still be normal, go to college, get their dream jobs, have families of their own one day…. Danny doubted he'd ever leave Amity for fear of the ghosts that would run rampant, and with his secret he doubted he'd ever find anyone that could love him for who he was.

His mind flashed quickly to Sam, but he locked that thought down. She didn't want to deal with ghosts anymore, he couldn't ask her to be his girlfriend if she didn't even want to deal with his ghostly issues as a friend.

Perhaps he was exaggerating things in his mind, dragging up dark doubts and worries that were seemingly insignificant. Or maybe, just maybe- he was right.

It would be for best if the trio finally broke apart. Things had been bumpy for a while besides the rare good day, like the movie marathon a few days back. He wouldn't have Sam and Tucker to rely on, but who knows- Dora seemed willing to help, and there was always the Far Frozen and Clockwork. Even Wulf, if he brushed up on his Esperanto a bit surely they could become closer friends…

The cool breeze had done little to calm Danny's frazzled nerves over the past ten minutes. His inner monologues had only increased his anxiety and sadness at the idea of losing Sam and Tucker completely. Regardless of his agitated state, he turned towards the school, knowing that it was nearing time for the day to begin.

He dove through the roof of the school, taking advantage of his invisibility and intangibility. He shot through the halls, ignoring the shivers of those he zipped past. He rounded the corner and phased through the door of the Mens restroom.

After checking to ensure that the coast was clear, he allowed himself to shift back to human form. Exiting the bathroom he made his way to his first period class. As he entered and settled into his desk, the first ball rang.

He ignored Sam and Tuckers worried glances, however, as they tried to have a conversation without words over his head- his desk was in the middle- he felt his annoyance grow.

He rolled his eyes and stifled a sigh just as a paper ball smacked his left ear. It was only his trained reflexes that allowed him to catch it before it fell to the ground. Knowing it was from Tucker, as he was in the desk to his left, he unfurled it discreetly and read the techno geeks nearly illegible scrawl.

'Danny, we wanted to apologize for earlier, looking back on what we said and knowing you and how your mind works- hush you know it's true- we wanted to reassure you that we don't think you're a freak. The 'G' problem sucks, and the fact that you have to deal with it sucks even worse. But it's not on you alone, we're here to help you bro, we're never going to give up on you.'

Danny sighed slightly in resignation. The note made him feel a bit better, but even worse for having thought that he could make it without them. He felt selfish for being happy about them accepting the sacrifice that came with being there for him, but for now he could look past it.

Glancing to the left and then right, Danny ran his hand through his windblown hair and lightly chuckled. Sam and Tuck smiled, knowing that things were at least resolved for now.

His history teacher droned on, reciting dates and proclamations that Danny had no hope of remembering. A gasp of mist causing him to hiccup jarred him from his stupor. Raising his hand with a smile on his face, the teacher sighed and shook her head. A hopelessness wafted off of her, as she nodded and excused Danny to the restroom.

He really needed to stop being melodramatic, today was just another day. He still had Sam and Tucker, they still had his back, and he still had Ghost Butt to kick.

* * *

 **AN: WoOo another chapter- Sorry about the wait on this one, life is a chaotic mess at the moment. School preparations, house renovations and family emergencies oh my!**

 **So a quick explanation on why I had Sir Nick be so chill about Dora's arrival- During his death day party, there were tons of ghosts there that didn't live in Hogwarts 24/7, so I'm assuming that it's possible, and even sort of common, for ghosts to travel here and there, so a new ghost popping in to say 'hello' would be a bit out of the blue, but not jaw droppingly shocking.**

 **On that note, I hope you all enjoyed! I'll try and have another chapter within a few days, as always feedback is very appreciated. I only have a loose plan for this story, so suggestions and ideas are welcome. ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey everyone, I'd like to apologize about the lack of updates. I'm in my last year of college, moved, work full time.. It's been a really busy few years. However, I'm determined to say I've finished at least one story, so here's to continuing! Also, in regards to the fight/argument with Danny, Sam, and Tuck- I don't intend for any major breaking up of the trio, but I do need to establish a weakening in their friendship due to plot reasons.**

 **Also, thank you for all of the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Joy Shrouded in Darkness**

"Dora?"

With that single word, from the voice of a friend lost so long ago, Dorathea's eyes welled with tears. She smiled and nodded, and then turned slightly to where Sir Nick had floated to ask him for some privacy. It seemed he had understood without her having to say anything, as his spot was already vacated.

"Hello Helena, it's been a while." Dora spoke with a tear choked voice, struggling to crack her pitiful attempt at a joke to ease the tension. Laughter fell from their voices as easily as the tears gliding past their cheeks. They both flew towards one another, and Dora never even registered the fact that she felt cool solid contact from her hug as strange. At least she didn't until she heard Helena gasp in shock.

"D-Dora you're tangible!?" A stricken look passed over Dora's features, and she internally cursed herself for losing focus on maintaining intangibility so soon after telling herself how important it was. Pulling back from Helena she smiled sheepishly and shrugged, and then proceeded to answer Helena's imploring eyes.

"I think there's a lot for us to catch up on…" Helena's wide opaque eyes bore into Dorathea's now glistening crimson ones. She reached a translucent hand out towards her old friend, and lightly pushed against Dora's arm.

Rather than the feeling of nothing but shivers, she felt the soft delicate fabric of Dora's elegant gown. The shock seemed to have overwhelmed the magical ghost, and she slowly drifted away to her previous perch upon the towers railing in a daze. Staring at the stars appearing faintly as the light continued to fade from the horizon, she voiced one of the questions running through her mind.

"Dora… What are you?" At last she turned to peer over her shoulder at her past playmate. Dora lightly dropped out of her hover and slowly walked towards the railing, ignoring Helena's still flabbergasted face as she made physical contact with the floor. Taking a seat next to her on the railing, and actually sitting on it rather than hovering over like her friend, she answered.

"I'm a ghost, but my creation was a bit different than yours I assume. I'm not sure why I appeared where I did and you remained on this plane of existence, but I can merely ponder the possibilities. The solution I assume is most likely is because perhaps your magic rooted you to this world, while my lack of natural power left me free to drift off and appear elsewhere after my passing."

The studious ghost nodded, her darker curls swaying in a light eerie breeze as they framed her elfin face. If Dora knew her friend as well as she hoped she did, then she was positive that there were many more questions running rampant through her mind.

"There are so many questions I can think of, but I know neither of us will be privy to the truth. I won't even bother asking some, but this one I hope you can answer. How did you find me, find Hogwarts?" Dora let a small smile shine upon her face, the joy of seeing her father again still abundant in her heart.

"The portrait of my Father that your mother had a hand in making, It was lost in the walls of our castle, but I uncovered it recently. He had many tales to share, and mentioned that I may find you here. It took much searching, but with his direction I was able to find this school fairly quickly."

Helena smiled slightly, as she was quite familiar with the portrait of her friends father.

"I keep him company sometimes, although the children are always more than happy to talk with him once they discover his frame. It's not often that a portrait be as curious or interactive with the physical world as he is. Any time he sees a student with something he doesn't recognize he calls out to them and asks them to explain. Most students know him as 'The Inquisitive King'."

A laugh fell from Dora's lips, as the name suited her father perfectly. As she relaxed further into the railing and leaned up against the edge of the wall, she tried to ignore Helena's intense gaze. As the laughter faded and a slightly awkward silence took its place she began to pester the hem of her sleeve in a small show of anxiety.

"Would you rather I not be tangible?" Her question seemed to shock Helena out of her staring, and a darker hint upon her cheeks gave her blush away.

"I'm sorry, I'm still quite astounded actually. However, it may be for the best if you do return to intangibility. If someone were to see you I would be unable to stop them from anything they may attempt to do." Crimson eyes widening Dora immediately returned to the shade like state.

"You're right, sorry, I completely forgot, I always have been a bit ditsy haven't I?" Helena's face split into a wide grin as a wicked gleam shone in her eyes.

"Oh Dora if you knew the many tales of your legendary ditsy-ness I had recalled to the students of these halls you would dematerialize in a plume of embarrassment on the very spot you float."

With a laugh of shock the awkward air was gone completely. Helena and Dorathea relaxed into one another's company. After so many years locked away from the familiarities of past friendships they embraced the coming times with a new vigor, and began sharing stories to fill the void of centuries.

* * *

The school bell rang a final time and Danny sighed in relief as he slung his bag over his shoulder and wove his way through the crowded classroom and hall. Bursting free from the educational hell hole, he stopped on the school's bottom step and scanned the crowd for Sam and Tucker.

The red barrette was a neon sign indicating pure techno geek twenty feet or so to his left. Heading in that direction he waved slightly as Tuck noticed him.

"Any sign of Sam?" Tucker rolled his eyes as he replied.

"Nah, she probably got detention for passing love notes to Vict- OW!" A rock smacking into Tuckers head with a resounding thunk halted his statement abruptly. "What gives Sam! I need these precious braincells to start a future multi billion dollar company!"

"Psh, as if you even had any to lose to begin with." Sam popped up from just around the corner and made her way over to the two boys. Danny smirked.

"Love notes huh Sam? I never thought you would be so mushy." Expecting his friend to deny anything of the sort and possibly lash out at him with the intent to cause severe physical damage, he was horribly thrown off when she merely shoved his shoulder and turned her head in a poor attempt to hide a blush instead.

Danny took a moment to process the twinge of what must be jealousy as he imagined Sam flirting with a guy. Surely he would have known if she had a crush on someone… right? He thought they had still been having the occasional blushy moment, but perhaps she still didn't feel the same?

"Oh yeah, Sam won't stop talking to Victor. He's that new guy that came a few weeks ago, he's in the Pre-Cal course we take, y'know, while you have double Chem." Sam shot Tucker a baleful glare.

"Why don't you mind your own business for once Tucker." With that, she turned and hurried away, headed in the direction of her house rather than the Nasty Burger as per their usual after school plans.

Tucker rolled his eyes before shrugging as he noticed Danny's incredulous stare focussed on him.

"What? She could at least try and be inconspicuous about it." Danny was still stuck on the fact that Sam was capable of having a crush.

"Sooo… Who's Victor?" At the slightly hurt look in the Halfa's eyes, Tucker finally realized his mistake of even mentioning anything in the first place.

"Aw shit man, I know you like Sam, but she's just really been talking to the new guy a lot these past few days. I didn't really think anything of it until today, but I guess they sort of like each other…" Tucker gave him a guilty look and rubbed at the back of his neck. Taking a deep breath Danny tried to let the tightness in his chest loosen up a bit before replying.

"It's fine, it's not like Sam and I are a couple or anything, besides, she… I… I doubt she'd ever like me like that. Not with how much 'baggage' I have with all of the ghost stuff." Tucker put a hand on Danny's shoulder and patted it a few times for good measure.

'Man, chicks are weird, Sam included. Screw the usual plans and binge play Doom?" Danny felt a grin threaten to show. Tucker may be a social idiot at times, but when it came down to it he really was a great friend.

"Your place, mine smells like mutant hotdogs." Tucker wrinkled his nose as the two teens began the short trek to the techno geeks house.

"Gross, your parent's made more of those things?"

"Nope, these are the ones left over from 3 months ago." Tucker gagged and the two degraded into fits of laughter as they continued on their way.

"Man, your life is crazy."

"Tell me something I don't know Tuck."

* * *

Helena finished telling Dora of the time she actually assisted the school poltergeist with a prank, and the two ghosts had to take a moment to breathe as they clutched at their sides and wiped tears of mirth from their eyes.

"Oh I can just imagine the look on your mother's face if she had been around for that! 'Helena how dare you further the mischief making capabilities of that wretched poltergeist!' Oh how wonderful would that be!" Helena cackled as Dorathea did her best impression of her mother, and both girls nearly fell off of the railing they were floating above as their laughter tripled.

A light warm chuckle sounded from the other side of the room, and both girls jolted upright in shock as they noticed the newcomer.

"How wonderful it is to see joy in these troubled times." A man that looked old enough to be Merlin himself smoothed his waist length silver beard as grandfatherly eyes peered past a pair of half moon spectacles.

Helena floated herself off of the balcony railing and aligned herself to be drifting a mere inch off of the floor before speaking.

"Professor Dumbledore, I'm sorry I didn't see you enter!" Helena gave a slight bow to show respect to the headmaster of her school, which Dumbledore quick waved off.

"No need to respect me dear Helena, it is I who should respect my elders and not intrude upon what seems to be a happy reunion." Helena gave a wry smile at the Headmasters wit.

"It is a happy reunion indeed, a childhood friend has found her way to me. Although her journey to find me and ability to do so is cause for sadness, this resolution is not." Dumbledore gave a friendly chuckle before turning his powerful azure gaze to Dora.

"Forgive my for my rudeness, I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, lover of lemon drops. Welcome to Hogwarts Miss … ?" Dora blushed as she too stood from the railing. Giving a formal curtsey of greeting from her era she introduced herself.

"I am princess Dorathea, pleased to make your acquaintance Mister Dumbledore." The Headmaster smiled and returned a slight bow, the tip of his beard dangling near his knees for a moment.

"I can't recall the last time we had royalty within our dear school's walls. You know my dear, you quite remind me of a rather jolly portrait I've come across in my time here." Dora's face lit up, the mere act of being compared to her father by someone was something she hadn't experienced in nearly a dozen centuries.

"That would be my father Sir, my godmother Rowena placed a copy of his portrait here long ago. I only recently discovered my own copy of it in the halls of my castle, it is he who has guided me here so I may rekindle my friendship with Helena."

"That's quite a lovely story indeed. For future reference if you choose to visit again, you will be able to see the school as you've been introduced to the wards and accepted. Next time the gates shall open to you, I can't imagine plunging through hundreds of layers of ancient magics was pleasant. It surely gave this old man quite the shock." Eyes widening in realization she quickly made to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't even thinking! I assure you, I mean absolutely no harm to any of your students or your school! I shou-" Dumbledore quickly cut her off as a spark of mischief danced in his cobalt gaze.

"My dear, if you meant any harm to this castle or her inhabitants, the wards wouldn't have allowed you within a dozen meters of them. Now, I wish you and Helena well with your reunion, this old sod needs to get back to the wondrous joys of an ample stack of paperwork." With a nod to the two women and a knowing gleam in his eyes the old wizard turned from the polite company and began to descend the winding steps of the tower.

Dumbledore was many things, but a fool was not one of them. He had felt the ghosts presence the moment she came into contact with the wards, with a powerful shockwave of ancient magic he had felt the castle accept her through them and deem her a defender.

Not for the last time Albus wished that art of legillimency was capable of being used to peer into the minds of ghosts, but alas, the secrets of the dead remained so. Even without the advantage of peeking into her mind, however, the aged wizard knew that there was far more to her being than a mere shade- but the extent of her existence remained a mystery to him.

Just as he had waited decades for many plans of his own to come to fruition, he could just as well wait for the unknown to unravel itself to him. After all, what use is being wise if one cannot be patient as well?

With that thought an end to his lighthearted musings brought about much more rampant thoughts, which even he struggled to sometimes keep organized and under their calm confines. The War was on the brink of tearing apart the wizarding world once more with the return of Voldemort just this past weekend, and he had far more to worry about than the mysteries of the dead. With that in mind he pushed the ghosts in the tower above completely from his mind and quickened his pace to his office, thoughts of warm socks and a nice cuppa his new focus.

Still where the musing wizard had left them, the two friends turned towards each other to resume their discussions. All that they discussed was lighthearted in nature, and neither came anywhere near approaching the topics of how they had actually died. This was a time of joy, not meant to be clouded by heavy conversation.

They went over first crushes and loves of teen years. Helena told years and years worth of stories regarding the antics of the students she watched over, from the goofiest clowns to even Merlin himself, who apparently had quite the pranking streak as well. Dorathea told stories of ghostly Christmas parties, where all foes turned friend for a night. She regaled the tales of Sir Phantom, the protector of both ghost and human alike, and Helena listened with rapt attention only to share the tales of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, but there was no resolution, and the story nagged on the back of Dorathea's mind for a few minutes as their small talk continued before she could no longer hold in her curiosity.

"How did Harry Potter's tale end? You said he was to fight the dark wizard, but you never said who won." With a single glance at the dark look that clouded Helena's eyes Dora immediately regretted her choice to sate her inquisitive mind. The Ravenclaw ghost sighed and looked slightly away before replying.

"It hasn't ended Dora." The draconian ghost cringed slightly, knowing that lighthearted conversation was over for now due to her overzealous hunger for stories.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize… So your world is at war?" Looking down both girls relived their own memories of what war was for a moment, neither of them were unfamiliar with it's cold grasp upon societies.

"It is. Professor Dumbledore has told us all of the ghostly persuasion here at Hogwarts of his return. We are to be on the highest alert as long as Harry Potter remains here for the rest of the term. Even I still do not understand how he managed to revive himself. Voldemort has done dark horrible things to preserve his hold on the land of the living, in fact I shan't even consider him alive. I fear that we may lose all we hold dear to our society should he strike now before Harry is truly old enough to fight, or before the rest of the wizarding world works past their arrogance to accept that he has managed to evade death."

Dora's frown deepened and she grasped at Helena's hand, letting out a small frustrated sigh as it merely tingled and slipped through her hand rather than making contact. Taking a small risk she allowed her hand to regain tangibility in order to offer her friend a small ounce of physical solace that she had gone so long without. The small touch nearly startled the magic out of Helena, but she latched onto it like a lifeline.

"From what you told me, he has faced down this Voldemort many times even from a young age… How is it that he has lived this long? How old is he?"

"Luck, Fate, and Chance all must have played their parts in Harry's survival… and he is a mere fourteen." Dora gasped, now knowing for certain that these stories that she had thought ancient mere moments ago were in fact happenings of the present.

"But he's hardly more than a child! Surely not all of your society place such a weight of responsibility upon such young shoulders." Looking imploringly into Helena's sad eyes Dora was slightly aghast to see that that was the case. Standing abruptly Dorathea pulled Helena off of the railing as well, startling her out of her melancholy.

It was a very faint idea that passed through Dora's mind, and it pained her to imagine placing any more of a burden upon Sir Daniel's shoulders, but if the case here was so fraught with hopelessness, it was surely worth at least asking the Halfa if he could lend any aid.

"I shall ask Sir Phantom if he may lend a hand to your worlds cause. I cannot guarantee his assistance, but he is kind of heart and unfalteringly brave." Helena shook her head slightly, the hopelessness she felt hardly faltering.

"What is it that a mere ghost could do Dora? The specter's you know may have physical form, but a ghost could never be a match for the Dark Lord." Dorathea scoffed at her friend and shook her head in disappointment.

"Have you not listened to a single story of my tales? Sir Phantom has defeated Pariah Dark, the king of all ghosts, he has saved countless lives within the human realm, and he possesses a strength far greater than most humans, and, dare I say it, wizards." With Helena's still skeptical gaze, Dora continued. "Allow me to at least ask, if he agree's then I'm sure your people could find some way for him to assist. I will supply to you some of my knights as well. Although they are not as strong as Sir Phantom by any means, I have a large number of them and they are quite capable."

After a long pause in which you could nearly see the gears turning within Helena's mind, she let out a long sigh of defeat and offered the enthusiastic ghost a small smile.

"Very well, but I implore you not to pressure him into anything he does not desire. We will surely face many battles ahead, but not all hope is lost. Assistance would be quite nice though."

With a renewed energy and desire to return to Amity Park, Dora released her intangibility long enough to give her friend a powerful hug.

"Allow me to leave right away then. I shall send word of my discussion with Sir Phantom by way of my fathers portrait…. It has been great to see you Helena, I'm sorry for darkening the mood." Pulling herself further into Dora's embrace Helena shook her head.

"Do not worry yourself with such trifles. You have offered my people a great gift with your aid. Safe travels Dorathea, I shall await news from your Father." With one last squeeze the girls separated, and rather than making a show of things, Dora faded from the visible spectrum and took off from the balcony, soaring into the sky.

Once she felt the now much less resistant border of the wards, she quickly passed them. Only then did she allow her draconian form to break free, and with a mighty roar that would make some of the residents of a near by sleepy village rave about 'Dragons' for weeks to come, she put on a bust of speed that had her rocketing through the early morning night sky.

* * *

Danny smiled as the wind whipped his white bangs straight back. He pushed himself in his flight, soaring straight up into the sky, enjoying the endless stars that glinted and glowed blocked only by the occasional wispy cloud. It was a perfect night in his opinion, hardly a single ghostly occurrence besides the Box Ghost trying to steal someones old shoe boxes. He and Tucker had even had a chance to really unwind and just have some one on one boy time. The techno geek hadn't stood a chance in a full on Doom dungeon duel against the halfa.

They had also taken the time to talk a bit about Sam. Danny admitted that he was a bit hurt by her apparent interest in Victor, and Tucker had expressed his sympathies. Essentially, from what Tucker had observed, they had only just begun talking but Sam did seem to enjoy the attention. Victor was apparently 'her type'. Dark and a bit broody with an artistic environmentalist twist. Danny couldn't blame her for liking the attention, especially since he couldn't imagine asking her to become more involved with his crazy ghost filled shamble of a life.

The evening had felt natural and carefree, and his happiness came through in loops that he made through the sky, miles above the ground. Amity park was a mere sparkle upon the distant darkness that was the ground. Letting gravity take hold, the halfa free-fell, the sinking sensation sending jitters all through his stomach. With a gasp his ghost sense triggered, the cold mist bubbling up and past his lips. He instantly stopped falling and stuck it to gravity, floating and looking everywhere for his potential foe.

A warm puff of breath fluffed the back of his hair and had him reeling to turn and ready an ecto-blast. It was only the briefest glimpse of Dora's dragon form and the realization that she wasn't even prepared to attack that had the neon green blast sizzle back into non-existence a mere mili-second before it would have fired. With a swarm of bluebell flames the dragon disappeared to reveal the young princess, A smile lit up her face as she gazed upon him.

"Sir Phantom! Such a wonderful convenience to find you on my return. If you are free I would love to speak with you in regards to my travels, as well as to discuss the Knights positioning upon the outside of your portal." The last of his adrenaline fizzled out and a bit of his happy calm mood came back. A quick glance at the clock tower confirmed that it was only a little past 8 in the evening, and his parents had given up on him having a curfew long ago.

"I have some time, where did you want to talk?" Her shoulders relaxed further and her smile only brightened.

"If it is not too much trouble, my kingdom possess a key portion of the story I wish to tell you, as well as a chance for you to interview the Knights that have volunteered to aid your guarding of this land." It was still a good thirty minute flight or so to make it to Dora's realm, but with his joyful mood the halfa didn't mind, especially at the chance to further a friendship that offered him assistance in protecting Amity Park.

"That sounds fine to me." With a nod Dora took off, soaring towards Fenton Works, as she neared the rooftops of the buildings below she left the visible spectrum, and Danny did as well. Intangibly swooping through the walls and ground of his childhood home they both swept through the open portal, continuing their journey in the visible spectrum with a pace just as quick.

It felt like mere moments later that they touched down in the courtyard of Dora's kingdom. They were instantly surrounded by both knights and peasants alike, all of varying viridian, aqua, and the occasional amethyst hue. In unison every one of them knelt and bowed to both Dorathea and Danny. With a blush the halfa rubbed at the back of his neck, uncomfortable by the show of respect. With a smile and a wave, Dora expressed her desire for her people to rise.

"Thank you for such a kind greeting my friends, but please do remember that you may bow only if you wish. I am not my brother- the choice is yours." A few of the ghosts smiled and one Knight called out.

"It is because of you that we bow Milady, for yourself and Sir Phantom are deserving of the respect that your brother sought to force." A darkening of the pale greek skin of her cheeks was the only response Dora sought to give. With a smile she waved a hand to suggest that Danny follow her. As they passed the crowd, a small ghostly girl with pale lilac skin ran up to Danny and thrust out a slightly wilted purple flower towards him.

"This is for you Sir Phantom! Thank you for all you have done for us!" It was odd to Danny, to see the odd colorings and unearthly glow upon a ghost so human. She had darker flecks of purple that showed what would have been freckles in life, with a still missing tooth and dimples in her smile. Her bright green eyes were just a shade yellower than his own. Orange hair similar to Jazz's struck a sharp contrast to her coloration.

"Thank you… What's your name?" With an odd flutter in his chest the ghost teen felt compelled to kneel down to be on eye level with the small girl. He took the flower from her grasp and gave it a slight twirl. It was one he had never seen before, and pretty as far as flowers go.

"Isabelle!" She blinked up at him, childlike glee in her eyes. She seemed so untouched by the idea that she was dead. So unlike many of the angry spirits he had come across. A slight idea crossed his mind and he put it into motion. With a tiny puff of frigid air and a flash of icy blue in his eyes the flower froze solid with the thinnest layer of ghostly ice giving it a gemstone like sheen. He handed the flower back to the mesmerized girl and she clutched it like she was terrified it would shatter.

"Why don't you keep that safe for me? It looks much prettier when you hold it. It will never melt or break, that ice will last forever." Tears shone in her eyes and she clutched the icy treasure. With a nod she gave him a watery smile and ran away, over to ghostly woman that had the same lilac skin and ginger hair. The girl quickly began regaling who Danny realized was her mother with the story of what the woman had surely just witnessed herself. With a kind smile his way, Danny straightened and blushed as he noticed Dora had stopped to watch the encounter with a gleeful grin of her own.

The two continued on in the direction of the castle, ready to discuss matters of protection and friendship. Danny had never felt more welcome in the Ghost Zone.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Lets see if I can keep this update thing going a bit better this time around. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, thank you all for the wonderful favorites and reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Tactical Negotiations**

Danny looked around in awe at the ancient castle Dora lead him through. It had changed greatly since he had last been here when he fought Aragon and saved Sam from the pageant fiasco. Much of the dark and forbidding spires and old tattered gloomy tapestries had been changed, leaving smooth turrets and towers, decorated with light celtic banners in soothing colors. The dust and webs had been cleared away, and if it weren't for the faint purple tinge to the stone and the hint of green to the sunlight filtering through the large windows the halfa would have assumed he was in a real medieval castle. The wall sconces held dancing bluebell flames that swayed ever so lightly as they passed. They traversed up a spiraling staircase to another short hall before coming to a stop at the most ornate door Danny had ever seen.

Dora knocked lightly and then entered, but seeing as the room was empty Danny figured it was just an old ingrained habit. It seemed like a normal if old study, with a sturdy desk and large windows. A crackling fire in the corner had more of the same fire from the wall torches burning merrily. The light sound of a whispering breeze could be heard whipping around the tall tower they stood in. It wasn't until Danny heard the cheery voice that he realized they weren't alone after all.

"Ah there's my primrose! After Sir Nicholas swooped by my portrait to let me know a young lady of striking resemblance had been by to visit Helena I knew you made it safely, but to see with my own eyes brings this old man an extra sense of comfort indeed. Now, who is this young man next to you? Is he in shock? Shall we call for a healer?" As Danny stared open mouthed at the talking painting that moved he felt completely baffled. While Dora's realm was no longer stuck in the dark ages, they sure as hell shouldn't have video chats in old exquisite frames with painting filters over them yet… right?

"Father, this is Sir Phantom. I have invited him here to discuss matters of aid on behalf of both sides. He is Muggle as well, so I'm sure he's just startled by your presence. He'll snap out of it in a moment. I hope." Dora waited a moment before a slight bit of nervousness showed. She bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs, still staring at Sir Phantom's catatonic gaze. With only a slight timidness to her actions she reached out and tapped his shoulder. His head swiveled towards her and he pointed at her Fathers portrait.

"The painting is talking and moving. It said words, it's looking at me. Why is it laughing at me!?" True to the halfa's word, the portrait had started snickering at the confused boy's expense and with his exclamation it became a hearty chuckle.

"I apologize lad, I don't mean to befuddle you. Perhaps you and my daughter can discuss the issues you are familiar with before she shares her story." With a still glazed expression, Danny nodded before sinking into one of the ancient chairs that sat before the desk. Dora lightly perched on the other one, shaking her head ever so slightly at the slouched posture that did nothing to express the true stature and power of the young man before her. Seeing as Danny wasn't going to start, she began explaining what she would like to provide.

"As I mentioned to you before, I would like to offer you a constant guard to the inside of the Portal that leads to your realm. I could supply a rotating guard of three knights at a time, for a total of twelve for four six hour shifts. I wish I could spare more to aid you, but many of the more unruly ghosts do still tend to cause a bit of trouble and my people feel safe having plenty of knights to patrol. You may of course speak to any and all of the volunteers should you wish to ease any concerns you may have." Danny glanced at her and straightened up in his seat, bracing his elbows upon his knees. Tendrils of snowy hair shielded his thoughtful eyes from her sight until he glanced up at her.

"The only thing I don't understand is why you want to help me. No other ghosts besides Frostbite and Clockwork have extended any sort of truce, let alone actual aid in the day to day protection of Amity. Is there something you want in return?"

"I could never hope to repay you for your help in freeing us from Aragon's rule," A quick glance at the dark and confused expression upon her fathers face reminded her that she had yet to tell him of Aragon's decent into twisted madness, a tale for later, "let alone even begin to touch the surface of what you did in defeating Pariah Dark. I dare say it makes you high king of the Zone by right, should you choose to claim the thrown. It is the least I can do to give you some small measure of peace. However; I do have something I dare ask of you- but please, feel no burden to accept or agree on my behalf. You have enough resting upon your shoulders as is Sir Phantom."

As Phantom gazed intently at her she felt as if his fierce peridot eyes were searing through her, searching for the slightest hint of a lie in her words. Luckily for her she was as honest and true as she could possibly be. The hero gave a slight shake to his head and his shoulders relaxed. With a small smile he turned to her,

"Alright, what's this story you wish to tell me and what can I do to help?"

* * *

Helena drifted through the walls of Hogwarts, enjoying the quiet at last after the long semester of an overfilled school. The tournament had been something she had hoped would never return. Trust the magical government to endanger and risk the children of their world. She found herself lead back to the Astronomy tower, her favorite perch all throughout the castle. She loved gazing at the endless sky, and now she had the most wonderful memories of reuniting with her oldest friend to fill the space as well.

As she floated up through the floor of the open viewing area she found her musing space to be occupied by another soul deep in thoughts. The headmaster looked out upon the grounds of his school with lines of worry etched deep in his face. The profile of his crooked nose and downturned lips had Helena concerned. It was rare to see past his mask of cheer and wizened smiling of mischief. His subdued air made the tower feel downtrodden, as if the very wards of the castle were reaching out to him in sympathy and comfort.

Hoping she wasn't intruding beyond her bounds she came nearer to him and rested upon the railing as well as she could without truly touching it. She gave him a slight smile,

"Care to ramble to some old ears Headmaster?" His eyes lightened ever so slightly.

"I always have found solace in council with my elders." She smirked slightly at the long going joke the two had shared. The headmaster loved pointing out her far older age despite her eternally youthful face. And while he jested she knew he genuinely did appreciate hearing her take on matters, as she had centuries of knowledge to contribute. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, a weak sigh easing past his lips.

"It appears I am at a disadvantage for the coming war. Cornelius refuses to see reason and has me pegged as an old lunatic rambling out of senility and paranoia. Without his acceptance of Tom's return I fear that we shall be far underprepared as a nation." Helena wished she could place a gentle hand upon his shoulder to ease some of the burden he faced, but after centuries of mistakes born from the same intent she knew all too well it would only bring him shivers and discomfort.

"Regardless Hogwarts will stand proud and defend any children who call her home."

"Of course. Enough of this sad talk, perhaps you could regale this old man with tales of your reunion with your friend. It's not so often our lovely school is host to a princess, let alone one that's capable of crashing through the wards like a dragon in a china shop." The professor's knowing eyes seemed to glance her way, chuckling slightly at her minutely shocked expression.

"I admit that Dora is unlike the ghosts that walk our halls, but I feel that it is not my right to tell her tale, especially without her present." The old man nodded his head and adjusted his half-moon spectacles as they balanced precariously upon the tip of his nose.

"It is admirable to see such loyalty. I hope that I may become privy to her story some day, as I find myself quite curious." Helena felt compelled to let the headmaster know of her friends desire to aid in the coming war, but until she knew to what extent her friend could assist she deemed it necessary to hold her tongue.

"I hope that you shall hear it sooner rather than later, as it is quite miraculous." The headmaster let loose a slight chuckle.

"My dear, now you're just teasing me." The Ravenclaw ghost gave a small smile, before deciding to continue her drifting elsewhere, to allow the headmaster more peace and privacy for his thoughts.

"I suppose I've intruded upon your musing long enough, I bid you a good night Headmaster." Having a nod of thanks sent her way, Helena paid no attention to the physicality of the floor and sank into it, drifting off through the empty halls of her home.

* * *

The fireplace continued burning throughout the two ghosts talk, the bluebell flames licking at the green tinged wood but never seeming to burn it. The last bit of light had faded from the Zone outside, leaving the office nearly dark, save the glow being projected from the two beings speaking and the pale blue light from the fire. If not for the cozy warm feeling, one would find it to be eerie in the unnatural light.

"So, let me get this straight- there are other ghosts out there, shades that are peaceful and harmless, but only in the magical world? And magic, that's a thing. Like, real magic."

"Yes, I wish I could show you but I have no proof here besides the enchantment upon my fathers portrait." The painting in question held a now snoring king, apparently lulled to sleep by the gentle voice of his daughter regaling a story he had heard many times.

"What I don't understand is why you think they need help? The war thing going on is just targeting humans right? Why are the ghosts in danger? What could I do against Wizards? I'm just a 'muggly' what'chamacallit."

"If the dark wizard Voldemort succeeds in his campaign and fight against the magicals who oppose him, he shall take the school and subject all who inhabit it to the most evil treatment. Those who live on as shades will be forced to see their eternal home ripped apart and destroyed. Magic itself will be desecrated. For now the school is a safe haven, a place of learning and laughter for humans, and home to many ghosts- including my dear childhood friend."

"I want to help, but how? It's all the way in Scotland, I have Amity to protect, and there's no way I could infiltrate the school as a human. I don't have magic." The halfa shrugged in a hopeless fashion, truly not seeing what he could do to help in any scenario.

"The wizarding kind are not familiar with our form of ghostly manifestation. We have power they know not, and as such no way to defend against us. We could aid them in the apprehension of the Dark Wizard and stand as protectors over their school." She knew it was a bit of a stretch, as it relied on hiding in plain sight and perhaps informing at least a few wizards of their presence, which did put them at somewhat of a risk- especially Sir Phantom, with his human half to protect and keep secret.

"I.. I don't know Dora. I still don't like the idea of leaving Amity unprotected, even with your knights to guard the inside of the portal. And if they've never seen our form of ghost, how do we just blend in without them asking questions?"

"Their shades look like us when intangible, we would merely have to retain intangibility to go un-noticed besides simply being seen as visiting specters. My friend Helena has long been an inhabitant of the school, her vouching for us would remove much of the suspicion. As to the protection of Amity, perhaps Lord Frostbite would be willing to appoint a guard to the portal as well. Few ghosts are brave enough to challenge a citizen of the Far Frozen. His people coupled with my knights would ensure the portal is well defended from any threat." Danny steepled his hands, gazing at the pale fingertips that squished themselves together. He noticed a slight fray along the edge of one of the fingerless glove tips and picked at it absently. The halfa was deep in thought considering what Dora had shared. It went against his morals to leave so many, human and ghost alike, undefended from a threat… but it truly wasn't his war to fight.

A deep wave moved through his chest, emanating from his core. He felt the need to protect and desire to help rise through his being. Knowing Amity would be safe drained even more of his willpower to fight his obsessive need to help away. He knew he could fight the compelling need to aid those at the magical school if he really needed to, a perk of being a halfa was power over his obsession. But did he want to? If Amity was safe, why not help someone else? He would get to see Scotland, and learn about real magic for Clockworks sake! It was even the start of summer break after school tomorrow, so it wasn't that big of a deal for him to be gone. He could tell his parents he signed up for a NASA summer camp or something, he had the flyers sitting on his desk to back it up. The only issue would be telling Sam and Tucker. No doubt they would be worried and think he was insane for adding more to his plate. At least with Jazz off at college already planning to double up on summer courses he wouldn't have to deal with her worrying as well.

"I think I need a bit more time to think it over Dora, but I'll definitely take you up on the stationed guard you've offered. I'll interview them some other time, for now feel free to send them over. I'll pop in and say hey while they're guarding the portal." The princess nodded, a smile upon her lilac lips and a happy gleam in her crimson eyes. Even if Sir Phantom said no, the fact that he was willing to consider coming to her friends aid warmed her to the core.

The teen rose from his seat, stretching his back with a mighty pop that startled Dora. So long as a ghost she had forgotten the feeling of a skeletal structure popping to realign. She found it interesting that Sir Phantom retained that in his ghostly form. He gave a slight yawn and squinted his eyes, more than likely quite exhausted as their talk had extended well into the night. She rose from her seat and offered to guide him out and back to his portal, but he quickly waved her off.

"I know the way back, thank you for the hospitality though. I'll come back in a few days with my decision if I can."

"Thank you for listening Sir Phantom, it was an honor to see you." He smiled and shook his head as he lifted a few inches above the floor, much like she herself was floating.

"Danny is fine Dora, it's what all of my friends call me." She felt a bit of warmth from her fiery core tinge her cheeks, overjoyed at the thought of being considered this halfa's friend.

"Goodnight Danny, thank you again." With a smile and a wave, he began his flight through the now dark and quiet halls of her castle. Watching from the tower window she saw the small blur of ebony and snow zip into the depths of the Ghost Zone at a speed that even she in her draconian form couldn't hope to reach.

* * *

That Friday was full of thought for Danny. As the last day of the school year he had plenty of time to ponder over Dora's request. There hadn't been a single ghost attack all of last night or today, so the halfa knew Dora had been true to her word in stationing a guard. After he had gotten home last night he had tossed and turned for a while, mind reeling with the information and option that had been presented to him.

Despite being oblivious to most things, he had noticed Sam and Tuckers worried glances being exchanged over his shoulders. He supposed he had been pretty quiet today, far from the other students with their lackadaisical cheering at the end of another school year. As they left the school building the trio wandered to the Nasty Burger, which was quickly filling up with students that had similar after school plans.

Danny ordered his food on autopilot and snagged the last corner booth for his friends while they received their orders. Tucker slid in beside him while Sam sat across from them. She smacked her tray down with a little excess, startling Danny out of his train of thought.

"Okay Danny, spill. What has you so stressed out and quiet?" He saw right past her annoyed glare and to the friendly concern laying beneath it. A thing of guilt flared up for worrying his friends.

"Notice the lack of ghosts today?" The two humans exchanged a brief look and thoughtful expressions crossed their faces. Tucker nodded as he stuffed a bite of his triple decker extra meaty nasty burger into his mouth, a dribble of the establishments signature NastySauce smearing his cheek. Sam poked at her salad with a disgusted grimace before turning back to Danny.

"Yeah, I suppose it has been quiet. Think they're plotting something?" Danny shook his head.

"No, I took Dora up on her offer to station some Knights on the inside of the portal." Tucker choked slightly on his full mouth of food, and Sam merely looked baffled.

"Why? How can you trust her? Just because she doesn't come and attack doesn't mean she isn't helping someone that will! She could just be getting your guard down! She's a _ghost_ Danny, you of all people should know they can't be trusted!" With a bit too much frustration bubbling up Danny's eyes flashed a startling acid green. It took all of his strength to avoid raising his voice enough to gather attention.

"How have you and Tucker not realized what your jabs about ghosts mean to me? _I am a ghost._ All of those crappy things you say about ghosts being evil and not trust worthy apply to me too. At the very least half of me!" The two looked taken aback by his slight outburst, and Tucker was the first to reply.

"It's just… It's different dude, you're not like them, ya know? You're more human than ghost really." Danny clenched his teeth in frustration.

"But I'm not Tuck. I constantly feel my ghost half just under the surface, I have an obsession- it just happens to be protection instead of destruction. Not all ghosts are evil, you should know that by now. Wulf, Clockwork, Frostbite, and Dora! And there are more out there too. You're so quick to judge these days! You guys used to be the ones encouraging me to give people second chances and hope for the best, I don't know how I ended up being the optimistic one in this scenario." The two teens looked abashed as they considered his words. They had forgotten the 'good' ghosts lately. Even if they didn't attack, they never really helped either, so they tended to slip past their memories forgotten. Even harsher to their guilt was the fact that they had been hurting Danny this entire time with their thoughtless comments. Neither of the two realized that he had been interpreting their words in that way.

"I'm sorry Danny. I didn't realize we were being so harsh." Sam rubbed at her shoulder and absently scooted her salad around in its bowl.

"I am too man, I just.. we didn't realize." The techno-geek ducked his head, his enthusiasm to tear into his burger diminished to nibbling on a fry. Danny sighed, worried he had been a bit too blunt.

"It's fine guys, sorry I didn't say anything sooner." An awkward silence enveloped the three, theirs was only quiet table in the bustling fast-food joint. Determine to break it, Danny continued. "So, will you guys hear me out about this Dora thing?" The two teens looked up at him and nodded, determined to prove that they would be more open minded.

"Essentially she wanted to help keep Amity safe for two reasons, the first as a thank you for the whole Aragon thing, and for beating Pariah Dark too. The second reason… She also asked me for a favor, and keeping Amity safe is sort of essential to me agreeing." The two looked a bit worried but held their tongues. "Long story short, there's this magical school and it's in danger from this crazy psycho wizard dude, and she thinks I can help save all the humans and ghosts that stay at the school. It's some castle in Scotland, apparently magical ghosts are different and harmless, kinda just intangible shades, and a lot of them are really worried about this war thing. I think I could really help, she's kind of got a plan and all. I think I'm going to do it." Sam and Tucker stared at their friend, sure that he had finally cracked and gone insane.

"Dude I don't know what you're smoking but I want some." Tucker's joke broke the odd silence and all three teens gave a slight laugh. "So you really believe all that is true?" Danny nodded,

"She kind of proved it to me. She's got this enchanted portrait in her Dads old study, and it's like, alive. It's her father, and he moves, talks, even snores. I think I'll go talk to Clockwork and see if he can tell me anything, but I'm almost positive she's being honest. And her kingdom… her people seem so happy now. This little ghost kid ran up and handed me a flower, everyone was polite… I think what we've seen of the Ghost Zone is just a small portion. What if there are others out there like Dora and her people. Like Frostbite and the Far Frozen. Heck, even Pandora! Isn't it worth it to give it all a chance?" Sam and Tucker exchanged quick glances and a smile. Sam nodded her head and began speaking,

"You're really great Danny, you know that? I won't say I'm not still a bit worried, but you're right. It's worth giving a chance to know that it's not all bad in the Zone. Plus, you could probably help the wizards or whatever a lot. And if Amity stays safe regardless, that's even more off your shoulders. Just.. promise to keep in touch if you go? Maybe contact Wulf again, see if he'd be willing to help out with some portals for quick communication?" Danny smiled, his mood brightened by his friends loyalty and faith in him. He felt like kicking himself for even thinking that they thought poorly of him.

"I will, and of course I'll keep in touch. There's probably still a while before I head out, we need to do a bit more planning and get things figured out, and I definitely want to stop in to talk with Clockworks and Frostbite to see what they think. Thanks for listening, you guys are the best." The three friends moved onto lighter topics from there, a peaceful air filling the table. After they finished their food they went for a stroll through the mall and stopped in at the arcade. By the time six rolled around they decided to part ways for the evening. Danny gave them a wave from the steps of Fenton Works as they headed back towards their own houses. This could all work out, he had a support system and friends here and in the Zone.

Speaking of the Zone, Danny headed down to the basement, thankfully empty of his parents as they had decided to go on a run to the store (his dad was out of fudge again). Switching to his ghostly half in a brilliant flash and ring of light, the halfa hopped into the air and shot through the portal. He had a master of time to chat with.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm hoping the situation with Sam and Tucker is a bit smoother and makes a little sense now. I'm needing it to feel a bit like they've grown apart while still maintaining a support group for Danny to keep him feeling good about his choice to help Dora. As always, feedback and suggestions are always welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: While I should be working on my homework, I find myself unable to stop writing for this. I made an ambient mixer called 'Deep in the Ghost Zone' that features Dora humming in her fathers study that I find wonderful to listen to while writing.**

 **Also, I appreciate all of the feedback from the last few chapters! I have the next two or so chapters lined out, so all that's left is to write them. After that I'll probably sit down and think more on where I want to go with this. I have a fairly good idea of the general premise, it's just coming up with all the bits to lead to it that I sometimes have trouble with. As always, I hope you all enjoy. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Planning and Preparing**

As Danny passed through the strange swirling wave of energy that made up the Fenton Portal he came up short as he instantly had three armed Knights floating before him. With a mental facepalm he remembered his request that Dora go ahead and station the guard. Immediately relaxing his stance he gave a slight wave.

"Uh, hi. I'm Danny, um, thanks for watching the Portal for me." All three knights simultaneously knelt to him and crossed their armor clad chests. The trio wore classic chainmail with pale blue tunics lined with a pale green and emblazoned with a roaring dragon that he supposed was expressive of Dora's kingdom. The one furthest to the left lifted his helmet, and the rest followed suit. He bowed his head to Danny even as he rose from his kneel.

"Greetings Sir Phantom, I am Sir Everard of Princess Dorathea's realm. We are humbled to be of service to you." The knight had a strong face that was lined with age, his silver hair and green tinged skin served to make his kind yellow eyes contrast boldly. "These are my fellow knights and companions, Sir Ailwin and Sir Gerard." These two knights seemed to have passed at a younger age, both had dark blond hair and purple eyes that held the slightest twinkle of mischief that brightened their otherwise ashen grey skin tones. Danny had a feeling they were twins. They each nodded at Danny in turn and gave him matching fanged grins. The one to the right, Gerard Danny thought, spoke.

"It's a pleasure to meet Pariah's Bane, and like Sir Everard mentioned, an honor to lend you our sword and skill." Danny blushed and ruffled the hair at the back of his neck out of habit. He really was quite frazzled by all of the positive attention he had received as of late.

"Really, the pleasure is mine. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate you doing this. Sorry to just jet off, but I really need to go see someone. Um, thanks again!" Holding still only long enough to see them all nod and resume a defensive position around the portal, the halfa flew away in the direction of Clockwork's Tower.

As Danny soared through the cloud like structures of swirling greens and around the violet doors and landmasses that dotted the ectoplasmic landscape he felt a sense of determination steadying itself within him. By the end of today he would have an answer for Dora. Either he would help her and make a difference for the Wizarding World, or he would stay here and do his best to help ghosts and human alike with even more vigor. He flew for nearly an hour before the mist around him began to grow more dense, and without fanfare he started spotting old gears and bolts drifting aimlessly through the atmosphere. He rounded one last dense bit of viridian fog and Clockwork's Lair loomed before him. He remembered the first time he had seen it, how eerie and desolate it had seemed. The closer he became the louder the ticking and chiming of thousands of clocks became. Some of them seemed fast, others slow, and a few perfectly balanced.

As he neared the towering front doors they began to open on their own. Of course he couldn't surprise the omniscient Master of Time with an unscheduled visit. He lightly floated through them, taking a moment to get used to the cacophony of so many clocks ticking in his vicinity, but after a few minutes it all came together in a lull of peaceful white noise. The main chamber of the room housed Father Time's three viewing portals as well as gears and bells galore.

"Hello Daniel." The ghost spoke without turning, for he knew exactly who's presence was floating into his home. Danny rolled his eyes a bit with a smile.

"Hey Clockwork, I'm sure you know why I'm here. Shall I get my cryptic advice now, or do you want to actually hear my question first?" The ancient specter shifted from wizened old man to a childlike form as he turned, his white beard dissipating into chubby blue cheeks. He gave a buck tooth grin that formed dimples to compliment his mischievous scarlet eyes.

"I suppose I'll humor you this time." The squeaky child like tenor always made the halfa smirk.

"I want to know if the war in the wizarding world would benefit from me helping." The ghosts smiling expression didn't change, but his form shifted once more. His purple cloak growing to fit the now strong adult form he hosted. His rich baritone replied,

"As you know Daniel, I cannot tell you which path to choose. However; I will say that following your instincts and intuition has always saved many lives in the past, and will continue to do so in the future." Danny mulled over his words, taking them to heart. After all, Clockwork had never steered him wrong before. Glancing at the three screens he saw a small black haired boy crying in a dimly lit cupboard taking up the first. The middle screen revealed an ebony haired teen brandishing a stick as he guarded a chubby peer from creatures that reminded him of Johnny 13's Shadow only darker if possible. As a brilliant white light erupted from the stick and what seemed to be a ghostly stag charged the veiled creature. The final screen showed a blur of colors, Danny supposed it was the future that had yet to be solidified in this timeline.

Clockwork waved his hand and the three screens went dark. He smirked back at Danny, "Now now Daniel, you know better than to peek." The halfa smiled, knowing that the fact that he had seen anything at all was Clockworks way of giving him a little nudge. He was letting him know that the future was completely up to him, nothing was set in stone yet. With a final moment of thinking, the snow haired teen smiled, his decision made.

"Thank you for your time Clockwork. I think I should go tell Dora my choice." The now elderly ghost of time gave one last smile and a wave. As the halfa drifted out of his tower and back into the Ghost Zone to start his journey to Dorathea's realm, the ancient ghost turned back to the viewing screens. Smiling as he gazed upon the once blurry third screen, he observed the best possible outcome solidify before him. While the Observants would scoff at his meddling, this old coot got a kick out of seeing things align so well.

"Until next time Daniel." The old voice echoed into the corners of the grand room, fading away and leaving nothing but Clockwork and his responsibilities, surrounded by the melody of time.

* * *

Dora was enjoying some downtime in her fathers study, as she was so apt to do as of late. The once dusty and forgotten tower room was spotless and organized now, with a constant fire cracking merrily in the hearth and the lullaby of whistling wind outside to sooth her. Having the companionship of her father helped as well. She sat back in a chair near the fire and talked about all manner of things. It had been lighthearted for a while, but as she glanced back over to the lively portrait she noticed the worry and consternation upon the King's brow.

"Is something the matter Father?" He glanced at her, his viridian eyes clouded in a way that she had not seen since a time that a neighboring kingdom threatened war for rights to more land. He took a deep breath and sighed as if to steady himself.

"Why is it that Aragon has not come to see me? You mentioned to Sir Phantom a gratitude and debt for him overthrowing his reign? Why would you need to escape such a thing?" A look of sorrow shrouded Dora, as this is a talk she wished not to have- not due to pain it would cause herself, but the despair the feared it would bring to her father.

"After your death.. while we were both still among the living… Aragon was a good benevolent king. He occasionally needed to be reigned in at times, but I did so without difficulty. When a plague overtook the kingdom, so many of us fell ill. Aragon passed within weeks of it reaching the castle, and I died only days after. I awoke in my room in the castle, only we were both here in the Ghost Zone. The strange skies and miasma around us terrified and confused us, but we quickly realized what must have happened and came to find peace in the swirling mists of the Zone. As more and more of our people arrived and a village began to materialize around the castle, we understood that our duty to the people was not complete- even in death."

"If the duty remained, how did Aragon become twisted enough to warrant removal from the thrown?"

"What you must realize Father, is that every ghost of my form has an obsession. Some of them are benevolent and inherently good, and some of them… are not."

"I take it Aragon's was not?" His shoulders drooped as Dorathea's head sank and shook in confirmation.

"My obsession is loyalty to my people and their happiness. Aragon's was control and power. He ruled with an iron fist- and soon not even I could get through to him. It became a torturous many years, as he took even the most basic freedoms from our people. Our obsessions conflicted and we warred with one another, but after some time he managed to break my spirit. I became nothing more than a glorified servant. It wasn't until only a few years ago that he decided he must have what no other ghost had- a human bride. I was sent to the human realm to retrieve one for him, and fearing what would happen should I deny him, I returned with a young girl. She was not what he had hoped for, she spoke of non-conformitive ideas and challenged his word, far from the perfect bride he had dreamt of from our era. He locked her away in a tower and instructed me to teach her proper behavior. Rather than do so, we began talking. She spoke of freedom and rights, the need to fight for what is just. I still didn't see any way I could defy Aragon. It wasn't until she fought back herself and I saw our people cheering her rebellion that I began to wonder if I could fight him. Sir Phantom arrived, and as he fought Aragon to save his friend, Lady Sam Manson, she finally managed to convince me that I had just as much right to the thrown as he. Sir Phantom and I fought him together, and by the time the battle was over he had destroyed much of the castle in a fit of rage and anger. He has… been in the dungeons since. I know not what else to do with him, his obsession has destroyed too much of the brother I once knew to believe that he can change. I am sorry Father."

"Do not be sorry my primrose, it sounds to me that you have done all you could. I am sorry that you had to experience such things. If I may ask one thing though?"

"Of course Father, ask anything." Her father seemed to consider his question for a moment before voicing it,

"May I see him? I know he may not be the son I remember, but I still desire speaking to him, to further understand why he has become so dark and tainted." Dorathea considered it, it would be dangerous to risk removing Aragon from the dungeons, but as she had proved- she was the stronger of the two, and she had loyal and happy citizens to support and aid her. It seemed the least she could do for her father.

"I shall see about scheduling something, maybe once this issue in the Wizarding World has been dealt with, if that is alright with you Father."

"Of course it is, thank you Dorathea." The Father and daughter shared a look of love and acceptance for one another, and they faded back into small topics of things they had experienced while apart. The crackling fire soothed frazzled nerves from the emotional talk, and as the hours continued to pass Dora relaxed and felt closer to her father than she ever had before.

* * *

Danny touched down on the cobbled stone of the courtyard, enjoying the odd feeling of sunlight that filtered through Dora's realm warming his naturally chilly skin, unlike so much of the Zone. A few of the ghostly citizens waved and curtseyed as they passed, seeming happy to simply go about their day and walk freely through the grounds of the Castle while cherishing one another's company. The little girl that had given him the flower gave an ecstatic wave from behind her mothers skirts, a familiar icy flower tucked into a braid that decorated her hair. The halfa felt a smile form on his face and returned the wave. As he drifted towards the castle he returned the nods, waves, and well wishes of each ghost he passed.

He lightly pushed open the grand doors that lead into the castle and made his way up the stairs higher and higher, assuming that he'd find Dora in her fathers study. As he neared the old door he knocked on it lightly, the ancient wood feeling worn and smooth beneath his knuckles. As he heard Dora's soft soprano call out a "Come in!" he pushed the door open and eased his way inside. The princess sat behind the grand old desk, reading through some parchments that rest in a neat stack upon the corner of the desk. She looked at ease there in the soft light, her skin a pale soft green, her golden hair swept back into intricate braids. She looked younger than Danny had ever really noticed. He always assumed she was well into her twenties since she was a princess, but as he studied the soft line of her jaw and the doe like scarlet eyes that observed him in turn, he figured she couldn't have been older than seventeen when she died.

Realizing that he had been staring longer than polite he cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck. Looking around the room his eyes passed the empty frame that usually held her dads portrait.

"Uh.. your dad is gone." Seeming to shake herself from her own thoughts she glanced back at the dark canvas behind her. Smiling she turned back to the halfa in front of her.

"He's able to hop between the two frames enchanted to hold his spirit. He's likely at Hogwarts speaking to others and spending time with friends there. He shall return soon. In the meantime, is there anything I can assist you with?"

"I've made my choice." Dorathea turned her full attention to the teen before her. "I want to help, I trust that Amity will be safe, and it sounds like these ghosts you know and the Wizarding World needs all the help it can get. So what's the plan?" The Draconian ghost felt a wave of relief wash over her. As confident as she was in her own strength after standing up to her brother, she was a mere flickering match next to the bright brilliant blaze that was Sir Phantom's power. Unable to restrain her joy she jumped up from the desk and came around it to wrap him in a hug. She felt him tense awkwardly before relaxing a mere bit to return the hug gently.

"I apologize for the spontaneity, but you've just given me such hope for the future I could not resist." She backed away to a reasonable difference before sinking into one of the chairs before the merry fire. She muffled a slight laugh at the obvious glow of a blush upon Phantom's cheeks as he sank into the other chair.

"Uh, no worries. So um… what exactly is our plan?" She pondered over what she knew of the Wizarding Worlds situation to aid her in voicing what she believed to be the best course of action, happy that she had spent a while speaking back and forth with Helena through use of her Father as a messenger between the two.

"We know that the Dark Wizard has returned, but he has not yet made an attack on the good since his revival. My friend Helena believes that we should come forth to the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in honesty with our offer of assistance. As well as being the head of the school under threat, he is also an upstanding leader of the light in the magical world. Helena has said that he is fair and just, and will treat us with respect. Of course, we need not disclose the source of your powers; the secret of your human half would remain so." The halfa nodded, his blush fading as a more serious set to his shoulders took over his posture.

"How do we know that he won't just immediately attack or mistrust us? You said we're different from the ghosts they know. No offense to your friends or anything, but most people tend to be pretty unaccepting of what they can't explain or don't know." Dorathea nodded in understanding.

"I had similar fears when I first started considering this venture, as it is something my father warned me of before I began my flight to Hogwarts. He and I have been speaking with Helena discussing the best course of action we should take. It is of their opinion that Professor Dumbledore is a man of many years, and open to all forms of magic and new discovery. He is known for being an activist in regards to peaceful dealings with other species and creatures that inhabit the Wizarding World, even going so far as to be fluent in Mermish to stand as a communicator for negotiations."

"Uhhh, what's Mermish?"

"From what I've been told, it is the language of Merpeople." Danny rose his eyebrows in shock before slowly nodding and seeming to accept what had before been an impossibility.

"Right. I keep forgetting, mermaids, magic…. right. I don't know why it seems so shocking, I guess it's since everything unusual I've ever encountered has been linked to ghosts." Dorathea smiled and replied,

"It is understandable, it's one thing to find new things of a world you know- and another to discover a new world completely." Danny's face shone with a quick flash of gratitude before continuing.

"So Dumbledore is a good guy, we can most likely trust him. The main issue is that I'm not sure I can keep my human half a secret. I still need to eat, sleep… I don't know what would happen if I just stayed in my ghost form for weeks without taking care of my human half as well."

"Perhaps I could state that I require food as well to throw off suspicion? I doubt they'll go as far as to observe that we're eating, especially as we'll do our best to remain in shade form when near any individuals other than Dumbledore or others he deems necessary to inform. Sleeping wise, from what I saw of the castle it is overwhelmingly massive- perhaps Dumbledore could supply accommodations if we request them. He wouldn't know that I had no need of sleep either." It was a long shot, but as Danny considered it he could see it potentially working. As long as they were careful.

"Or you could just take a liking to the Room of Requirement." The jolly voice startled Danny more than Dorathea, and they both swiveled in their chairs to see that Dora's Father had returned. The princess asked before Danny could,

"What is the Room of Requirement?" The king smiled at being involved and able to contribute in the planning.

"It is a room that I have long heard students whisper of as they passed. It's astonishing the things you learn when people assume that you're merely a painting with no use of information. The room is enchanted to only appear when someone asks for it specifically, and within their request they can require any manner of things. The room is able to materialize whatever is needed. I'm not sure of whether or not food would be an issue, as the laws of magic prevent its creation from nothing- but perhaps the House Elves of the castle could be discrete enough to send it without explanation." Both options had their merits, and the inclusion of two possibilities rather than one gave the two ghosts an added sense of security.

"Shall we consider it and decide once we meet with Dumbledore and have a better understanding of how our presence is taken?" Danny nodded at Dora's suggestion.

"So recap- we schedule a meeting with Dumbledore, explain that we want to help, figure out what he needs us to assist with, and do what we can?"

"Yes, unfortunately we do not know all of the current information in regards to the war as Dumbledore does not wish to burden Helena with his troubles. Until we speak with the Headmaster we won't know the full extent of which we can provide aid."

"So what's our cover story? Who are we and why do we want to help? We may be telling Dumbledore the truth, but I'm sure students and other ghosts will be curious." Dora nodded, she had already thought of a vague story to tell.

"I was thinking that we would express that I was who I am, a Princess and dear friend to Helena from our time alive, and you were a member of my royal guard, a knight bound to protect me even in the afterlife."

"One issue with that." Dora looked at Danny with expectant cardinal red eyes. "Won't they find it strange that I'm with you? I mean, I don't exactly scream 'ghost from the dark ages', how do we pull that off?" Dorathea wanted to smack herself as she realized she had given way to such an oversight. She took note of Sir Phantom's modern apparel; snowy combat boots that shielded his legs from damage that his enforced suit of ebony couldn't, fingerless white gloves with padded portions to support and brace wrists. A unique belt that supplied utility hooks and pockets to store technology far advanced, even by normal human standards. Even his signature emblem emblazoned upon his chest seemed oddly modern. Of course the wizarding world would be confused, he wouldn't even pass as a normal wizard that had passed on and found a friend in her company. From what she could tell, the wizarding world seemed to be centuries behind their muggle counterparts in regards to technology and even simple things like electricity. As she pondered a solution she realized it was also the funnest one.

"Simple, we change your outfit." Danny blanched and clutched at the front of his suit protectively.

"A makeover? I uh, I don't even know if I can change my outfit. I mean, it's kind of changed with me over the years." This slight comment made Dora chuckle, finding it odd to be reminded of how much Danny still didn't know of ghosts.

"We control our own appearance to some extent, maybe not something that would be indicative to power levels, but small simple cosmetic changes, like our clothing and hair. For example;" Dorathea focussed on her appearance, remembering a smooth coronation gown she had worn in life. She remembered its soft silken feel as it flowed elegantly around her. The simple blue daywear dress she wore began to change before the Halfa's eyes. The high quality cotton seemed to shimmer and tighten its weave until it was a silk of a paler blue. Splits began to appear in the skirt at even intervals, laced intricately to give a hint at an equally soft pale cream skirt beneath the panels of blue. A final touch was the squaring of the neckline and lengthening of the sleeves to trail past her wrists. As she opened her eyes, another braid formed in her golden locks, serving almost as a crown.

"Wow, that's a pretty neat trick." The princess smiled, enjoying the shocked look on the halfa's face.

"It's not all that difficult- you've been doing it subconsciously since you've made changes to your own apparel. You merely need to focus and imagine a shift in what you're wearing. Think of the textures and functions of what you wish to wear, how it will make you feel." Danny did just that, closing his eyes he thought of what he should change his outfit to. A part of him didn't want to lose his suit that was so uniquely identifiable as Danny Phantom, but the realization that he could call it back at any time gave him some peace of mind.

As he thought, he knew he needed to match Dora's era, so he pondered on the fashion of those in the village that surrounded her realm, and more specifically the knights. He didn't want clunky armor or noisy chainmail, as he often relied on stealth- so he focussed on remembering the two knights he had seen practicing out in the courtyard as he had walked in today. He knew they were both knights, as they had their emblazoned shields off to the side, but they wore no armor for their playful sparring match. The halfa considered the soft feeling of a worn of a white undershirt, a high quality cotton but not stiff and new- well used and loved. As he did so, the tight feeling of comfort and stability he recognized as his reinforced suit faded away, and the soft lightness of the very shirt he had been imagining appeared.

"Whoa.." He whispered. Dora's gleeful expression sent a smile onto his own, and she kindly pointed out the flaws in his design, stitching a bit too tight to match her era, the cut of the shirt was a bit short, and so on. With her small words and pointers, he made changes and added layers to his outfit. By the time he was done, he felt like a knight. His white undershirt had a thick grey laced vest over top that hung as a sleeveless tunic. A corded braided belt kept it from feeling too baggy and supplied him with a feeling similar to the comforting weight of his utility belt. He wore tight fitting black trowsers, a little tighter than Dora said was usual, but more comfortable to him than the usual loose fitting pants that were common in her age. His white combat boots were replaced with white leather boots that laced and matched what he had seen the other knights of the kingdom wearing well enough to pass according to Dora. When all was said and done, she was beaming at him in approval.

"All that is missing is a sword! You pass as a knight brilliantly." Even the king seemed to approve as he smiled down at Danny. With a grin the halfa activated his cryokinetic powers, his eyes flaring the deepest glacier blue. A snowy mist condensed in his hands, and as he poured further power into it a shard of ice began to appear. It's icy form condensed further and further, until it appeared to be a perfect blade of the deepest silver, if only a bit blue. With a quick smirk, Danny added a sheath to the ensemble he wore, and stowed his sword away at his hip.

"Amazing! I didn't realize you were capable of such powers!" Dora's Father seemed to be scrambling for words, a gleam of childlike excitement in his eyes giving way to an openly hopeful gaze. "Thank you for offering your help Sir Phantom, I fear that I did not truly appreciate the extent to which you and my daughter would be able to offer aid." Blushing again Danny further messed up his hair, leaving slight patches of frost where his hands roughed up the snowy locks.

"It's really not that big of a deal.. but thanks." Glancing out the window, the halfa noticed the darkening of the skies as night began to fall. Being mirrored in a way, Dora's realm followed the current time of day that the human realm experienced. He needed to get home, he still needed to tell his parents about his 'NASA trip'. He also wanted to say bye to Sam and Tucker and work out some form of communication. "So, I need to get going, but I'll be back tomorrow sometime. Before we go I'd like to check in with Frostbite to see if he'd be able to supply some help to guarding the portal as well to make things easier on your Knights. Other than that I think I'll be ready to leave by tomorrow at the latest."

"That sounds wonderful, I'll contact Helena and we'll inform Headmaster Dumbledore of our need for a meeting. I shall see you tomorrow Sir Danny." The halfa rolled his eyes at the addition of the title despite his insistence on 'just Danny' and waved, beginning to make his trek through the castle so he could fly back to Amity.

Tomorrow would be a long day, but soon they would be making a real difference in a world Danny could hardly believe existed.

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 **AN: I hope this chapter made some sense and didn't seem too filler-ish. I'm hoping to have them on their way to Hogwarts and some talking with Dumbledore in the next chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoyed, feel free to ask questions and provide suggestions. Thanks for reading! Also, I'm going through and trying to fix up some odd formatting here and there, so sorry about any weird extra emails!**


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